Self-Assembled Three-Dimensional ZnO Nanosize Islands on Si Substrates with SiO2 Intermediate Layer by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Self-organized ZnO nanosize islands were successfully synthesized by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on thermally grown SiO 2 layers on Si (111). Investigation by atomic force microscopy showed that the density and size of the ZnO islands were changed by growth conditions. At the growth temperature of 500°C, the ZnO island density was 5.7×10 9 cm -2 with the average island dimensions of 30 nm width and 10 nm height. The formation mechanism is attributed to Volmer-Weber-like nucleation which occurs due to low adhesion probability of ZnO on SiO 2 .