Cathodoluminescence of ZnO films on a rhombohedral plane of sapphire with a gold buffer layer

We have studied the luminescent properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) films on a rhombohedral plane of sapphire with a buffer layer of gold nanoislands. The luminescence spectrum revealed a set of oscillations caused by the classical interference in the thin ZnO film. This set can be represented by a bar code in which every bar corresponds to the oscillation line wavelength and the bar width corresponds to the line intensity. The high reproducibility and simplicity of manufacturing these thin-film ZnO structures and the high sensitivity of interference phenomena in these structures with respect to environment imply that their application as elements in various chemo- and biosensors holds promise.