We studied the texturing, roughness, and morphology features of ZnO films grown on the R (11¯02)-, M (101¯0)-, A (112¯0)-, and C (0001)-planes of sapphire, as well as their optical and luminescent properties. We showed that the growth conditions, substrate orientation, and the presence of a buffer layer significantly affected the structure and morphology of the growing films, which was reflected in their optical and radiative properties. In particular, films grown on the A- and M- planes of sapphire showed the highest UV radiation brightness values and exhibited stimulated emissions upon pulsed photoexcitation. The dependence of the topography of the film surface on the substrate orientation allowed the formation of a smooth continuous film with pronounced interference properties using the R- and M- planes of sapphire. A change in the crystallographic orientation, as well as a significant enhancement in crystallinity and luminescence, were observed for ZnO films grown on R-plane sapphire substrates with a gold buffer layer as compared to films grown on bare substrates. At the same time, the use of gold facilitates a significant smoothing of the film's surface, retaining its interference properties. The sensitivity of interference and laser properties to changes in the external environment, as well as the ease of fabrication of such structures, create prospects for their application as key elements of optical converters, chemical and biological sensors, and sources of coherent radiation.
Keywords: UV luminescence; films; gold buffer layer; interference; microcrystals; refractive index sensors; sapphire; sensors; stimulated emission; zinc oxide.