Superlattice-Induced Photoluminescence in Pulsed Laser Deposited ZnO_₁₋ₓS_ₓ Thin Films: Correlation of SAED, EDAX, and Temperature-Dependent Micro-Photoluminescence Studies

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-650-0_23How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Zinc oxysulfide; superlattice; pulsed laser deposition; SAED indexing; temperature-dependent photoluminescence; Varshni analysis; miniband transitions

Abstract

Zinc oxysulfide (ZnO_₁₋ₓS_ₓ), a ternary mixed-anion semiconductor, offers unique opportunities for bandgap engineering between ZnO (3.37 eV) and ZnS (3.68 eV). In this work, ZnOS thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at substrate temperatures of 723 K and 813 K were comprehensively characterized using transmission electron microscopy with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and temperature-dependent micro-photoluminescence (μ-PL) spectroscopy. SAED patterns revealed distinct superlattice reflections with satellite spots, confirming nanoscale periodic ordering within a cubic lattice structure (a = 5.357 Å), contracted from bulk ZnS (5.408 Å) due to oxygen incorporation. EDAX analysis validated stoichiometric Zn:O:S composition consistent with the ZnOS phase. Temperature-dependent μ-PL measurements (77–297 K) using 325 nm laser excitation revealed characteristic emissions at 387.6 nm, 392.2 nm, and 404.4 nm—the latter two absent in pure ZnO and ZnS—attributed to miniband transitions within the superlattice structure. Varshni analysis yielded E(0) = 3.325 eV, α = 6.5 × 10^⁻4 eV/K, and β = 215 K, confirming bandgap shrinkage driven by electron–phonon coupling. The combined structural and optical evidence conclusively establishes the formation of a ZnOS superlattice phase with unique electronic structure and optical fingerprints, demonstrating its potential for UV–blue optoelectronic applications.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - S. H. Deulkar
AU  - Jow-Lay Huang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/20
TI  - Superlattice-Induced Photoluminescence in Pulsed Laser Deposited ZnO₁₋ₓSₓ Thin Films: Correlation of SAED, EDAX, and Temperature-Dependent Micro-Photoluminescence Studies
BT  - Proceedings of the Conference on Technologies for Future Cities (CTFC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 339
EP  - 351
SN  - 3005-155X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-650-0_23
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-650-0_23
ID  - Deulkar2026
ER  -