Transition in layer structure of atomic/molecular layer deposited ZnO-zincone multilayers

In this work, atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies show that in atomic/molecular layer deposited ZnO-zincone [(ZnO)(a)(Zn-O-C6H4-O)(b)] multilayer thin films, ZnO crystals grow vertically and continuously through lateral zincone monolayers. When the thickness of zincone is increased from one to few monolayers, the growth of the ZnO crystals becomes confined, leading to the formation of discrete ZnO/zincone interfaces accompanied by a decrease in roughness. Apart from providing understanding on the formation of interfaces and on the structure of hybrid multilayers, these findings are relevant, e.g., for understanding thermoelectric interface phenomena at inorganic-organic interfaces and x-ray reflectometry of hybrid multilayer thin films.