Effect of Ag doping on the microstructure and photoluminescence of ZnO nanostructures

ZnO nanostructures were obtained by metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition via Ag catalyst‐assisted growth in a temperature range of 200–500 °C. Growth at temperatures above 500 °C resulted in vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NLs). Ag incorporation into ZnO up to 0.4 at.% promoted creation of basal plane stacking fault (BSF) defects and corrugation of the side facets of the NLs. The presence of BSFs give rise to an additional photoluminescence peak with a wavelength of ∼386 nm, which is slightly red‐shifted compared to the commonly observed NBE emission at ∼375 nm. The observed emission was found to be specifically observed from the side facets of the NLs. It is suggested that this emission is due to a high concentration of BSFs in the ZnO as a result of an incorporation of Ag as acceptor dopant. SEM image of an Ag‐doped ZnO nanorod with corrugated side facets. The observed corrugation is accompanied by a high concentration of basal plane stacking faults.