Tuning optical and optoelectronic properties of gold nanoparticle and ZnO thin film hetero-structures

Abstract Thin film hetero-structures (TFHSs) involving metal oxide thin films and noble metal nanoparticles are very important for many optoelectronics based device applications. This work reports the growth, characterization, and tuning of photoluminescence and I–V properties of TFHSs involving zinc oxide (ZnO) and gold nanoparticles (GNPs). ZnO thin films and GNPs were respectively deposited by the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) and DC sputtering with subsequent annealing. Three different TFHSs were prepared by varying the relative positions of ZnO and GNPs, namely Si-GNPs-ZnO, Si-ZnO-GNPs, and Si-ZnO-GNPs-ZnO. X-ray diffraction results confirmed the high crystallinity of the films, with single phase nature of the ZnO and GNPs. Scanning electron microscopy micrograph analysis confirmed that the morphology of structures containing both GNPs and ZnO is influenced by the bottom layer. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy results also indicated that the position of GNPs relative to ZnO affects the plasmon resonance of GNPs as well as the overall optical properties of the TFHSs. Photoluminescence studies revealed that the presence of GNPs affects the defect concentration in the TFHSs. The I–V characteristics showed that the TFHSs where ZnO contains GNPs in embedded form are better suited for photodiode application. This study adds a new dimension to the research on optoelectronics devices.