title: Role of self-assembled gold nanodots in improving the electrical and optical characteristics of zinc oxide films.
abstract: We have studied the effect of embedding nanocrystalline Au particles on the electrical and optical characteristics of ZnO films. Au-embedded epitaxial ZnO films were deposited on (0001) sapphire substrates with a pulsed laser deposition technique. The crystalline quality of both the ZnO matrix and Au nanoparticles was investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Composite films were characterized by photoluminescence, optical absorption, and low-temperature electrical resistivity measurements. Photoluminescence spectra of theses films showed a sharp excitonic peak at 3.22 +/- 0.05 eV without any signature of green band emission. Electrical resistivity measurements showed these films to be highly conducting, with a room-temperature resistivity of 3.4 +/- 0.2 m omega-cm.
authors.affiliation: NSF Center of Advanced Materials & Smart Structures, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7916, USA.
authors.forename: Ashutosh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chugh
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Narayan
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005453:Fluorescence; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008027:Light; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D045663:Quantum Dots; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D006046:Gold; D015034:Zinc Oxide