Zinc oxide (ZnO) exhibits a unique set of
attractive properties, which give rise to applications
as gas sensors, acoustic devices, and transparent
coating for solar cells. Furthermore, its
large band gap of 3.37 eV makes it a good
candidate for optical devices in the near ultraviolet
(UV) region. Its large excitonic binding energy
(B60 meV) opens the possibility of exploiting
excitonic effects in room temperature devices.