Cathodoluminescence of large-area PLD grown ZnO thin films measured in transmission and reflection

Epitaxial ZnO thin films on sapphire substrates can be used as fast and laterally homogeneous scintillators to convert electrons into photons, for example for imaging purpose. We report on the improvement of the cathodoluminescence intensity of epitaxial pulsed laser deposited ZnO films on a-plane sapphire substrates with diameter up to 33 mm. The lateral homogeneity of the integral cathodoluminescence intensity was inspected using a modified RHEED setup. Cathodoluminescence spectra were excited at the ZnO side of the samples and detected both in reflection and in transmission geometry. The redshift of the excitonic cathodoluminescence peak in transmission relative to reflection and the peak shift with the excitation depth can be explained by a model based on self absorption of the photons in the ZnO film.