Article pubs.acs.org/JPCC
Tuning Optical Properties of Al2O3/ZnO Nanolaminates Synthesized by Atomic Layer Deposition Adib Abou Chaaya,†,∥ Roman Viter,*,‡,§,∥ Ieva Baleviciute,⊥ Mikhael Bechelany,*,† Arunas Ramanavicius,⊥ Zanda Gertnere,§ Donats Erts,§ Valentyn Smyntyna,‡ and Philippe Miele† †
Institut Europeen des Membranes, IEM, ENSCM-UM2-CNRS, UMR 5635, Universite Montpellier 2, Place Eugene Bataillon, F-34095, Montpellier cedex 5, France ‡ Faculty of Physics, Experimental Physics Department, Odessa National I. I. Mechnikov University, 42, Pastera, 65026, Odessa, Ukraine § Institute of Chemical Physics, University of Latvia, 19, Raina Boulevard, LV 1586, Riga, Latvia ⊥ Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Physical Chemistry, Vilnius University, Naugarduko 24, 03225 Vilnius 6, Lithuania S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: Nanolaminates are of great interest for their unique properties such as high dielectric constants and advanced mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. Here we report on the tuning of optical and structural properties of Al2O3/ZnO nanolaminates designed by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Structural properties of nanolaminates were studied by SEM, GIXRD, and AFM. Optical characterization was performed by transmittance and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Complex study of monolayer properties was performed by ellipsometry. Optical constants for Al2O3 and ZnO monolayer were calculated. The band gap of ZnO single layers and the excitonic PL peak position were shifted to the UV region related to quantum confinement effects. No peaks in the UV region were observed in nanolaminates with 2 nm ZnO single layer thickness due to fully depleted region in small crystalline grains (