In summary, the growth rate of AlN nanostructures decreases with temperature increase and Zn incorporation. The Zn doped AlN samples above 760 1C exhibit two new emission peaks at 320 and 282 nm, which are absent in undoped AlN at 760 1C. Extra peaks originate from new defect and impurity energy levels involving Zn doping. Increasing temperature results in a blue shift of the band around 360 nm which is related to the variation of oxygen concentration, meanwhile, the increase of Zn content induces a stronger emission peak at 282 nm compared to the one at 364 nm. Thus, the AlN:Zn nanostructure has potential applications in UV optoelectronic devices.