Crystal Growth of Nonpolar m-Plane ZnO on a Lattice-Matched (100) γ-LiAlO2 Substrate

In this study, a nearly lattice-matched (100) γ-LiAlO 2 single crystal was demonstrated as a potential substrate for the epitaxial growth of nonpolar ZnO materials. The adopted growth approach is a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The orientation was identified as the [10−10] orientation ( m -plane) by the X-ray diffraction pattern. Characterization of further structures and the defects of nonpolar ZnO films were performed by field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM). Room-temperature photoluminescence spectra of nonpolar ZnO showed a strong UV emission peak at around 377 nm and a negligible green band emission. The dependence of growth characteristics on the growth temperatures, deposition time, and chamber pressure were investigated.