Nickel oxide is a promising material for transparent electronics applications. This semiconductor demonstrates the possibility of modifying its physical properties depending on the method of growth and subsequent processing. Here the effects of the discharge power are reported during reactive dc magnetron sputtering, as well as the modes of subsequent annealing of NiO films, on their structural, electrical, and optical properties. NiO films are annealed at various temperatures both in an oxygen‐containing environment and under vacuum conditions. Deposited NiO films have a polycrystalline structure with a preferred orientation (200) for the low discharge power mode and (111) for the high discharge power mode. However, obtained NiO films exhibit crystallinity improvement after annealing. The presence of both Ni²⁺ and Ni³⁺ oxidation states in the deposited films is found. In addition, it is shown that the relative carrier concentration (Ni³⁺/Ni²⁺ peak area ratio) can be controlled by choosing the NiO film preparation mode. The trend in this ratio corresponds to the trend in film conductivity and the number of free‐charge carriers. The deposited films are semitransparent, and the estimated optical bandgap of NiO is in the range from 3.50 to 3.74 eV.

Controlled growth of heterostructured nanowires and mechanisms of their formation have been actively studied during the last decades due to perspectives of their implementation. Here, we report on the self-catalyzed growth of axially heterostructured GaPN/GaP nanowires on Si(111) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Nanowire composition and structural properties were examined by means of Raman microspectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. To study the optical properties of the synthesized nanoheterostructures, the nanowire array was embedded into the silicone rubber membrane and further released from the growth substrate. The reported approach allows us to study the nanowire optical properties avoiding the response from the parasitically grown island layer. Photoluminescence and Raman studies reveal different nitrogen content in nanowires and parasitic island layer. The effect is discussed in terms of the difference in vapor solid and vapor liquid solid growth mechanisms. Photoluminescence studies at low temperature (5K) demonstrate the transition to the quasi-direct gap in the nanowires typical for diluted nitrides with low N-content. The bright room temperature photoluminescent response demonstrates the potential application of nanowire/polymer matrix in flexible optoelectronic devices.