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Atom Probe Tomography of Zinc Oxide Nanowires

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Abstract

Wide-bandgap zinc oxide (ZnO) semiconductors and nanowires have become important materials for electronic and photonic device applications. In this work, we report the growth of well-aligned single-crystal ZnO nanowire arrays on sapphire substrates by chemical vapor deposition and the development of atom probe tomography, an emerging nanoscale characterization method capable of providing deeper insight into the three-dimensional distribution of atoms and impurities within its structure. Using a metal-catalyst-free approach, the influence of the growth parameters on the orientation and density of the nanowires were studied. The resulting ZnO nanowires were determined to be single crystalline, with diameter on the order of 50 nm to 150 nm and length that could be controlled between 0.5 μm to 20 μm. Their density was on the order of high 108 cm−2 to low 109 cm−2. In addition to routine characterizations using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy, we developed the atom probe tomography technique for ZnO nanowires, comparing the voltage pulse and laser pulse modes. In-depth analysis of the data was carried out to determine the accurate chemical composition of the nanowires and reveal the incorporation of nitrogen impurities. The current–voltage characteristics of individual nanowires were measured to determine their electrical properties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

    Nabil Dawahre, Gang Shen, Soner Balci, William Baughman, David S. Wilbert, Nick Harris, Lee Butler, Seongsin Margaret Kim & Patrick Kung

  2. Central Analytical Facility, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

    Rich Martens

Authors
  1. Nabil Dawahre
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  2. Gang Shen
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  3. Soner Balci
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  4. William Baughman
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  7. Lee Butler
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  9. Seongsin Margaret Kim
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  10. Patrick Kung
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Correspondence to Patrick Kung.

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Dawahre, N., Shen, G., Balci, S. et al. Atom Probe Tomography of Zinc Oxide Nanowires. J. Electron. Mater. 41, 801–808 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1803-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1803-x

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