Effect of Mg diffusion on photoluminescence spectra of MgZnO/ZnO bi-layers annealed at different temperatures.

MgZnO/ZnO bilayers (Mg concentration of ∼30%) have been grown and subsequently annealed at different temperatures in the range of 600-900 °C with the specific interest of studying the effect of inter-diffusion of Mg on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of the bilayers. The influence of Mg diffusion and material homogenization is evaluated through absorption, PL, and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) measurements. No appreciable change in the spectral positions is seen either in PL or absorption up to an annealing temperature of 700 °C, which is also supported by SIMS. However at higher annealing temperatures, diffusion of Mg into the ZnO layer is clearly evident in SIMS profile, which results in the red-shift (blue-shift) of spectral positions of MgZnO (ZnO) layer, respectively. Finally, for the sample annealed at 900 °C, the two layers are completely merged providing a single peak at ∼3.60 eV in PL/absorption corresponding to a completely homogenized MgZnO layer. Spectroscopic results are corroborated by the numerical simulations based on a simple theoretical model, which correlates the observed PL spectra of the heterostructures with the experimental Mg diffusion profiles across the heterointerface, as measured by SIMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]