Comparative X-ray Diffractometry of the Defect Structure of ZnO Epitaxial Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering on C-Plane Al2O3 Substrates in Inhomogeneous Electric Field

The results of studying the specific features of the growth of zinc oxide films formed on sapphire substrates by magnetron sputtering in an inhomogeneous electric field are presented. The films have been analyzed by high-resolution X-ray diffractometry, pole figure technique, and electron microscopy. A sequence of changes in the lateral structure with an increase in the film thickness, which depends also on the local potential, is revealed. Thus, regions with a higher surface potential correspond to the ZnO〈10 $$\bar {1}$$ 0〉(0001)||Al2O3〈11 $$\bar {2}$$ 0〉(0001) epitaxial ratio with the least lattice mismatch.