Growth of ZnO sub-millimeter crystals by microwave heating

Abstract

ZnO sub-millimeter crystals were synthesized by microwave heating from ZnO powders without any catalyst or transport agent. Zinc oxide raw materials were evaporated from the high-temperature zone in an enclosure and crystals were grown on the self-source substrate. The thermodynamics analysis method was used to estimate the partial pressure of gases in the chamber, which shows that the pressure of ZnO could be neglected entirely in the range of experiment temperature. The kinetics analysis was employed to estimate the growth rate in different conditions, which shows a remarkable temperature gradient and a high system temperature would enhance the growth rate. Optics photos reveal that these products are hexagon crystals with 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter and 0.5–1 mm in length. A vapor-solid mechanism is proposed to explain the growth process of ZnO crystals. The temperature distribution in microwave oven is mainly determined by properties of electric field and it is different from that of a conventional method.

Keywords

ZnO crystal / microwave heating / vapor growth

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