Electronic transport properties of In-doped ZnO nanobelts with different concentration

Abstract

In this paper, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanobelts with five different indium (In) concentrations (1.98, 2.73, 3.33, 4.20, and 5.16 wt%) were prepared by simple vapor deposition with HAuCl(4) (1% solution) as catalyst. Detailed structural and compositional characterizations were performed by XRD, TEM, EDS, PL, and Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of In-doped ZnO nanobelts with different In concentrations were determined by nano-manipulation and measurement systems. The results show that the resistivity of these nanobelts decreases with increasing In concentration when the doping concentration of In is lower than 4.20%, but, on the contrary, when the In concentration is higher than 4.20% their resistivity increases. Also, all of the nanobelts keep ohmic contact very well. Simultaneously, the influence of electron beam irradiation (20 kV) on the nanobelts was studied, and it was found that electron beam irradiation can improve the conductivity of the nanobelts. Under the same voltage, the current increased gradually during irradiation until equilibrium was reached. The degree of influence of the irradiation on the resistivity of the nanobelts is the greatest when the In dopant concentration is 4.20%, which is suitable for making irradiation sensors.