ABSTRACT
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a direct bandgap semiconductor with a bandgap of ∼3.37 eV at room-temperature and relatively deep excitonic binding energy of 60 meV, both attributes of which make ZnO an e¶cient UV optical material at and above room temperature [1-6]. Due to their environmentally friendly chemical nature, resistivity to harsh environments, and deep excitonic level, ZnO as well as MgxZn1−xO (where 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 is the composition) are emerging as promising materials capable of high-e¶ciency luminescence in a wide range of the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum [2,7]. –e exceptional optical properties of ZnO have led to the realization of various optoelectronic devices. Random lasing in microcrystalline £lms and optically pumped stimulated emission in £lms and nanostructures have been demonstrated, and room temperature polariton lasers as well as light-emitting diodes and solar cells have also been realized [8-15]. Although the topic of ZnO has been extensively researched, less is known concerning the properties of the MgxZn1−xO alloy system. MgxZn1−xO thin £lms and nanostructures that include nanocrystals as well as core-shell structures have recently been studied with the objective of achieving a viable alloy family with tunable bandgap and luminescence at the UV range [16-26].
