Low-Temperature Sputtering and Polarity Determination of Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanocolumns

Abstract

We report a scalable and low-thermal-budget growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanocolumns on Si(100) substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at temperatures of 80−100 °C. In this low-mobility growth regime, sputtering pressure controlled via the argon flow rate is the dominant parameter governing the morphological transition from dense columnar films to well-separated nanocolumns rather than the substrate temperature. High sputtering pressure enhances the self-shadowing effect, promoting the formation of well-separated nanocolumns under a limited adatom mobility regime. Conversely, low sputtering pressure facilitates void filling, yielding dense films with reduced surface roughness. Controlled preannealing of the Si substrate prior to deposition enables switching between O-polar and Zn-polar nanocolumns, plausibly attributed to modifications of the native SiOx surface chemistry. O-polar films and nanocolumns exhibit higher effective piezoelectric coefficients up to 20 pC/N. Their stable piezoelectric responses over 0.1−150 Hz correlate with higher differential resistance and reduced dielectric loss, suggesting the suppression of the carrier-induced screening effect. This work establishes a practical growth window compatible with thermally sensitive substrates, including those used in flexible and wearable electronics.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{hamzi2026lowtemperature,
  title = {{Low-Temperature Sputtering and Polarity Determination of Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanocolumns}},
  author = {Alaa Hamzi and Laila Ouardas and Mostafa Saleh and Pimchanok Leuasoongnoen and Thita Sonklin and Philippe David and Simon Le Denmat and Olivier Leynaud and Eric Mossang and Bruno Fernandez and Soodkhet Pojprapai and Daniel Mornex and Rudeesun Songmuang},
  journal = {ACS Applied Nano Materials},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1021/acsanm.6c00882},
  eprint = {2602.14893},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05775814v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Low-Temperature Sputtering and Polarity Determination of Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanocolumns
AU  - Alaa Hamzi
AU  - Laila Ouardas
AU  - Mostafa Saleh
AU  - Pimchanok Leuasoongnoen
AU  - Thita Sonklin
AU  - Philippe David
AU  - Simon Le Denmat
AU  - Olivier Leynaud
AU  - Eric Mossang
AU  - Bruno Fernandez
AU  - Soodkhet Pojprapai
AU  - Daniel Mornex
AU  - Rudeesun Songmuang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/08
JO  - ACS Applied Nano Materials
DO  - 10.1021/acsanm.6c00882
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05775814v1
AB  - We report a scalable and low-thermal-budget growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanocolumns on Si(100) substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at temperatures of 80−100 °C. In this low-mobility growth regime, sputtering pressure controlled via the argon flow rate is the dominant parameter governing the morphological transition from dense columnar films to well-separated nanocolumns rather than the substrate temperature. High sputtering pressure enhances the self-shadowing effect, promoting the formation of well-separated nanocolumns under a limited adatom mobility regime. Conversely, low sputtering pressure facilitates void filling, yielding dense films with reduced surface roughness. Controlled preannealing of the Si substrate prior to deposition enables switching between O-polar and Zn-polar nanocolumns, plausibly attributed to modifications of the native SiOx surface chemistry. O-polar films and nanocolumns exhibit higher effective piezoelectric coefficients up to 20 pC/N. Their stable piezoelectric responses over 0.1−150 Hz correlate with higher differential resistance and reduced dielectric loss, suggesting the suppression of the carrier-induced screening effect. This work establishes a practical growth window compatible with thermally sensitive substrates, including those used in flexible and wearable electronics.
SN  - 2574-0970
ER  -

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