ABSTRACT
Semiconductors as a class of material have found diverse applications that seem to be growing at an exponential rate. The evolution of new applications necessitates that the semiconductor perform better under more intense environments, so materials scientists develop parallel processes that will suit the needs of the application. They either alter or improve the method of creating the material, or they form a new material to meet the needs of the application. Wide band gap semiconductors have emerged in recent years as a promising category of material that offer some advantages over traditional semiconductors and have facilitated devices and detectors that operate faster and more ef‹ciently at higher powers under more severe conditions. Single crystal zinc oxide (ZnO) is one such wide band gap semiconductor with great potential for a variety of commercial applications including substrates, UV photodetectors, acoustic wave devices, light emitting diodes, laser diodes, high frequency electronic devices, and ultrafast nuclear particle detectors. Table 2.1 compares some of the properties of ZnO with other wide band gap semiconductors.
