Chemical vapor deposition synthesis of Ge doped ZnO nanowires and the optical property investigation

Abstract

Ge-doped ZnO nanowires with high quality were prepared with simple chemical vapor deposition method. The morphology, crystal structure and elemental distribution were characterized using SEM (scanning electron microscopy), HRTEM (high resolution transmission electron microscopy) and EDS (energy dispersive spectrometry) mapping approaches. The optical properties were investigated with combination of room-temperature CL (cathode ray luminescence) and variable temperature micro-PL methods. It is found for the first time that a tapered Ge doped nanowire exhibits a thickness-dependent spectrum shift under a cathode-ray excitation, which was interpreted by the electron-lattice interaction model and the band-filling effect of semiconductors. The exciting power dependent emission spectra (lux-luminescent characteristics) at varied temperatures reveal a varied radiative recombination mechanism. At 83 K, free excitons contribute to the emission spectrum, while at 300 K while at 300 K multi-levels related non-radiative transition process largely contributed. The optical property indicates an excellent crystallization of the nanowires with a small amount of defects.