Effect of Post Annealing of ZnO Buffer Layer on the Properties of Hydrothermally Grown ZnO Nanorods

We investigated the effect of an annealed ZnO buffer layer on the structural and optical properties of hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods. ZnO buffer layers were deposited on a p-type Si(100) substrate by radio-frequency (RF) sputtering. ZnO nanorods were grown on as-deposited and annealed ZnO buffer layers by a hydrothermal process at a low temperature for various growth times. Annealed ZnO buffer layers have higher c-axis texturing than as-deposited ZnO buffer layer. ZnO nanorods grown on annealed ZnO buffer layers had higher X-ray diffraction (002) peak intensities and ultraviolet (UV) emission intensities than those grown on the as-deposited ZnO buffer layer. The degree of c-axis texturing of ZnO buffer layer affects the perpendicular growth for hydrothermal ZnO nanorod. (C) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics