Epitaxial growth of ZnO films on Si substrates using an epitaxial GaN buffer

Abstract

We report on epitaxial growth of ZnO films on Si(111) substrates using an epitaxial GaN buffer layer. A rf magnetron sputtering process has been developed and utilized in growing epitaxial GaN buffers on Si, and then ZnO films on the GaN-buffered Si substrates. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that both the ZnO and GaN films are of a monocrystalline wurtzite structure with an epitaxial relationship of ZnO[0001]//GaN[0001]//Si[111] along the growth direction and ZnO[11201]//GaN[1120]//Si[110] along the in-plane direction. The successful growth of epitaxial ZnO/GaN films on Si demonstrates the feasibility and promise of integrating various functional devices on the same substrate. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.