Efficient laser induced consolidation of nanoparticulate ZnO thin films with reduced thermal budget

Layers of ZnO nanoparticles with thicknesses of about 40 nm were prepared on Si substrates. It was shown that UV laser irradiation is suitable for consolidation and significant densification of the ZnO particle layers under ambient conditions. Both experiments and simulations show that an underlying SiO 2 particle layer has a beneficial effect in inhibiting heat transfer towards the substrate and thus enables the application of temperature-sensitive carrier substrates like polymer foils despite the extremely high melting temperature of ZnO.