Luminescent and structural properties of ZnO-Ag films

ZnO-Ag thin films were prepared by a two-stage method on glass and sapphire substrates. Ag doping was carried out by a method of close space sublimation at atmospheric pressure. The film thickness is varied from 0.6 to 7 μm. The structural and radiative properties were explored by X-ray diffraction technique, atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. The influence of the fabricating conditions on the properties of ZnO-Ag films is studied. It is found that the Ag doping modifies the crystalline structure of the films and promotes the oriented growth of monocrystalline blocks with the size of 500–2000 nm in the [0002] direction. Improvement of the crystalline quality correlates with the change of the radiative characteristics of the films. The origin of emission centers is discussed.