The Mechanisms of Luminescence from ZnO under Electron Irradiation

Abstract

Zinc Oxide has been utilized for centuries in a wide range of applications including medical, food, and materials. It is now that ZnO draws much attention to its potential as a high frequency semiconductor and UV laser. As a result there has been much investigation into the properties of ZnO and many papers published in the area. Despite this fact, there is still much that is unknown about its electronic defect structure. This research investigates the broad region of the Zinc Oxide luminesecnece spectrum known as the green band, about which there is much debate as to its origin. Electron irradiation is employed to excite the ionization characteristics of ZnO and to create native defects which may be luminescent centers. Specifically, the mechanisms which result in the reported quenching of the green band under electron irradiation are to the studied. This is a novel effort with high hopes and expectations for identifying some of the mechanisms responsible for the luminescence.