Optical properties of dislocations in wurtzite ZnO single crystals introduced at elevated temperatures

Optical properties of wurtzite ZnO bulk single crystals in which an arbitrary number (typically 109 - 1010 cm-2) of fresh dislocations were introduced intentionally by the plastic deformation at elevated temperatures (923-1073 K) were examined. Deformed specimens showed excitonic light emission with photon energies of 3.100 and 3.345 eV, as well as their LO phonon replicas at 11 K. The light intensities increased with increasing dislocation density. The activation energy for a thermal quenching of the 3.100 or 3.345 eV emission band, which corresponds to the depth of the localized energy level associated with the emission band, was estimated to be 0.3±0.1 or 0.05±0.01 eV, respectively. The origin of the energy levels was proposed as point defect complexes involving dislocations. The introduction of the dislocations at the elevated temperatures above 923 K did not influence the intensities of the emission bands except the dislocation-related emission bands.