Doping ZnO Crystals with Gold during Their Growth by the Vapor‒Liquid‒Crystal Method

Abstract

ZnO microcrystal arrays have been grown on a (111) silicon substrate by the vapor‒liquid‒crystal deposition, where the liquid phase is gold. The differences between the crystals obtained for growth times of 5, 10, and 15 min are described. The lattice parameters of the microcrystals have been calculated with increasing growth time: а = 3.316 Å, c = 5.281 Å; а = 3.291 Å, c = 5.270 Å; and а = 3.286 Å, c = 5.258 Å. A change in the Au content in the microcrystals during their growth has been found to vary from 0.520 at % at the substrate to 0.035 at % on the surface of the crystals after the 15-min growth. Elemental distribution maps are presented, and the deviation of the lattice parameters of the obtained crystals from the reference values is explained.