Fabrication of nanowires of Al-doped ZnO using nanoparticle assisted pulsed laser deposition (NAPLD) for device applications

Aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanostructures have been successfully synthesized on sapphire substrates by using nanoparticle assisted pulsed laser deposition (NAPLD) in Ar atmosphere without using any catalyst. The growth of the AZO nanowires has been investigated by varying the argon flow rates. The coatings have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Laser Raman spectroscopy and Photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results of XRD indicate that the deposited films are crystalline ZnO with hexagonal wurtzite structure with (0 0 2) preferred orientation. FESEM images also clearly reveal the hexagonal structure and the formation of nanowires with aspect ratios between 15 and 20. The surface roughness value of 9.19 nm was observed from AFM analysis. The optical properties of the sample showed that under excitation with λ = 325 nm, an emission band was observed in UV and visible region. The characteristic Raman peaks were detected at 328, 380, 420, 430 cm-1. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.