Abstract
ZnO nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous Zn 2 x Si 1− x O 2 layer inserted between a ZnO thin film and a p-Si (1 0 0) substrate were formed by magnetron sputtering and thermal annealing. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images showed that ZnO nanocrystals were embedded in the Zn 2 x Si 1− x O 2 layer inserted into a ZnO/Si heterostructure. The { 0 1 1 ¯ 0 } planes were observed for the ZnO nanocrystals with a [0 0 0 1] orientation direction, and the { 0 1 1 ¯ 1 } and the {0 0 0 1} planes were observed for the ZnO nanocrystal with a [ 2 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 0 ] orientation direction. The formation of ZnO nanocrystals consisting of the most stable {0 0 0 1} and { 0 1 1 ¯ 1 } facet planes was attributed to atomic rearrangement of Zn and O atoms to reduce the surface energy during the thermal annealing and the cooling processes. The formation mechanisms for the ZnO nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous Zn 2 x Si 1− x O 2 layer inserted into a ZnO/p-Si (1 0 0) heterostructure were described on the basis of the HRTEM images.
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