Abstract
This article surveys recent developments in the rational synthesis of single-crystalline zinc oxide nanowires and their unique optical properties. The growth of ZnO nanowires was carried out in a simple chemical vapor transport and condensation (CVTC) system. Based on our fundamental understanding of the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) nanowire growth mechanism, different levels of growth controls (including positional, orientational, diameter, and density control) have been achieved. Power-dependent emission has been examined and lasing action was observed in these ZnO nanowires when the excitation intensity exceeds a threshold (∼40 kW cm-2). These short-wavelength nanolasers operate at room temperature and the areal density of these nanolasers on substrate readily reaches 1 × 1010 cm-2. The observation of lasing action in these nanowire arrays without any fabricated mirrors indicates these single-crystalline, well-facetted nanowires can function as self-contained optical resonance cavities. This argument is further supported by our recent near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) studies on single nanowires.
Original language | British English |
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Pages (from-to) | 323-331 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Advanced Functional Materials |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2002 |