Dot-height dependence of Photoluminescence from ZnO quantum dots

We report on the optical properties of ZnO nanodots and how they are influenced by the height of the dot configuration. The nanodots were grown on SiO2/Si substrates by remote-plasma enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (RPE-MOCVD). The dot configuration was regulated by controlling the growth time. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of nanodots having average dot height of 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 nm grown on SiO2/Si substrates were measured at 16 K. A blue shift in the excitonic emission was observed for shorter dots due to a larger quantum confinement effect. The fractional-dimensional space model was used to estimate a dimensionality of 2.35 for ZnO nano dots with an average dot height of 2.5 nm.