Influence of substrates in ZnO devices on the surface plasmon enhanced light emission

The substrates in emitting structure were found to have an influence on the surface plasmon mediated light emission of ZnO films. Ag film mediated photoluminescence was quenched for ZnO on silicon substrate but enhanced for ZnO on quartz or sapphire substrate. Through a theoretical simulation, the quenching for ZnO on silicon substrate is ascribed to the power lost to the substrate mode nonradiatively at the expense of the power coupled to the SP mode. The substrate with a high refractive index may capture and dissipate the emitting power which limits the efficiency of SP mediated light extraction. Therefore, a proper arrangement of the refractive index of the substrate and emitting layers in the device structure is decisive for the SP coupled light emission enhancement. Base on the theoretical analysis, a four-layered structure was advanced to recover SP mediated emission enhancement from ZnO film on silicon substrate. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.