Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Effect of Material Structure on Photoluminescence of ZnO/MgO Core-Shell Nanowires

Journal Article · · ChemNanoMat
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [3];  [3]
  1. Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States); Vanderbilt University
  2. Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States); Univ. of Memphis, TN (United States)
  3. Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)
  4. Austin Peay State Univ., Clarksville, TN (United States)
  5. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)
  6. Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States); Austin Peay State Univ., Clarksville, TN (United States)
  7. Fisk Univ., Nashville, TN (United States); Tennessee State Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires are widely studied for use in ultraviolet optoelectronic devices, such as nanolasers and sensors. Nanowires (NWs) with an MgO shell exhibit enhanced band-edge photoluminescence (PL), a result previously attributed to passivation of ZnO defects. However, we find that processing the ZnO NWs under low oxygen partial pressure leads to an MgO-thickness-dependent PL enhancement owing to the formation of optical cavity modes. Conversely, processing under higher oxygen partial pressure leads to NWs that support neither mode formation nor band-edge PL enhancement. High-resolution electron microscopy and density-functional calculations implicate the ZnO m-plane surface morphology as the key determinant of core-shell structure and cavity-mode optics. A ZnO surface with atomic steps along the m-plane in the c-axis direction stimulates the growth of a smooth MgO shell that supports guided-wave optical modes and enhanced UV PL. On the other hand, a smoother ZnO surface leads to nucleation of a rough cladding layer which supports neither enhanced UV PL nor optical cavity modes. Finite-element analysis shows a clear correlation between allowed Fabry-Perot and whispering gallery modes and enhanced UV-PL. Finally, these results point the way to fabricating ZnO/MgO core-shell nanowires for more efficient UV nanolasers, scintillators, and sensors.

Research Organization:
Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-09ER46554; FG02-01ER45916
OSTI ID:
1597869
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1423703
Journal Information:
ChemNanoMat, Journal Name: ChemNanoMat Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 4; ISSN 2199-692X
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (73)

ZnO p-n Homojunction Random Laser Diode Based on Nitrogen-Doped p-type Nanowires journal February 2013
Sensing trace levels of molecular species in solution via zinc oxide nanoprobe Raman spectroscopy: Zinc oxide nanoprobe Raman journal June 2017
Optical Properties of ZnO Nanostructures journal August 2006
Nanophotonics book January 2016
Zinc Oxide book January 2010
Electrical and optical properties of MgO thin film prepared by sol-gel technique journal October 1997
Use of distributed Bragg reflectors to enhance Fabry–Pérot lasing in vertically aligned ZnO nanowires journal October 2012
Synthesis and characterization of aligned ZnO/MgO core–shell nanorod arrays on ITO substrate journal April 2013
Plasmon enhancement for Vernier coupled single-mode lasing from ZnO/Pt hybrid microcavities journal May 2017
Green emission in ZnO nanostructures—Examination of the roles of oxygen and zinc vacancies journal April 2013
Luminescence properties of MgO-sheathed and annealed ZnO nanowires journal July 2011
Electrical properties of polycrystalline and single crystalline nickel layer capped ZnO nanowires journal December 2017
Tailoring UV emission from a regular array of ZnO nanotubes by the geometrical parameters of the array and Al 2 O 3 coating journal May 2017
Preparation of high quality Mg doped ZnO nanorod arrays with enhanced optical properties by MgO passivation journal October 2016
Structure and photoresponse characteristics of ZnO thin films grown at high oxygen partial pressure journal October 2007
Effects of incidence angle on the structure and properties of cathodic vacuum arc deposition MgO thin films journal June 2012
Growth and great UV emission improvement of highly crystalline quality core–shell ZnO/MgO nanowires journal October 2012
ZnO nanostructures for optoelectronics: Material properties and device applications journal July 2010
Surface-plasmon mediated photoluminescence from Ag-coated ZnO/MgO core–shell nanowires journal February 2014
Geometrical Separation of Defect States in ZnO Nanorods and Their Morphology-Dependent Correlation between Photoluminescence and Photoconductivity journal July 2015
Strong Coupling between ZnO Excitons and Localized Surface Plasmons of Silver Nanoparticles Studied by STEM-EELS journal August 2015
Nonpolar InGaN/GaN Core–Shell Single Nanowire Lasers journal January 2017
Effect of SiO 2 Spacer-Layer Thickness on Localized Surface Plasmon-Enhanced ZnO Nanorod Array LEDs journal January 2016
Ultraviolet Electroluminescence from ZnS@ZnO Core–Shell Nanowires/p-GaN Introduced by Exciton Localization journal January 2016
Single Mode ZnO Whispering-Gallery Submicron Cavity and Graphene Improved Lasing Performance journal June 2015
Nanomanipulating and Tuning Ultraviolet ZnO-Nanowire-Induced Photonic Crystal Nanocavities journal April 2017
Optical Cavity Effects in ZnO Nanowire Lasers and Waveguides journal August 2003
Systematic Study on Experimental Conditions for Large-Scale Growth of Aligned ZnO Nanwires on Nitrides journal May 2005
Subwavelength Optical Resonant Cavity-Induced Enhancement of the Near-Band-Edge Emission from ZnO-Core/SnO 2 -Shell Nanorods journal April 2011
Hybrid Standing Wave and Whispering Gallery Modes in Needle-Shaped ZnO Rods: Simulation of Emission Microscopy Images Using Finite Difference Frequency Domain Methods with a Focused Gaussian Source journal May 2013
Influence of ZnS and MgO Shell on the Photoluminescence Properties of ZnO Core/Shell Nanowires journal December 2009
The Kinetics of the Radiative and Nonradiative Processes in Nanocrystalline ZnO Particles upon Photoexcitation journal March 2000
High Quantum Efficiency of Band-Edge Emission from ZnO Nanowires journal September 2011
Electrically pumped waveguide lasing from ZnO nanowires journal July 2011
Nanowire photonics journal October 2009
Ultrafast plasmonic nanowire lasers near the surface plasmon frequency journal September 2014
Unusual electroluminescence from n-ZnO@i-MgO core–shell nanowire color-tunable light-emitting diode at reverse bias journal January 2014
Enhanced waveguide-type ultraviolet electroluminescence from ZnO/MgZnO core/shell nanorod array light-emitting diodes via coupling with Ag nanoparticles localized surface plasmons journal January 2015
Photoluminescence performance enhancement of ZnO/MgO heterostructured nanowires and their applications in ultraviolet laser diodes journal January 2015
Facile synthesis and enhanced luminescent properties of ZnO/HfO 2 core–shell nanowires journal January 2015
Photoluminescence enhancement of ZnO nanowire arrays by atomic layer deposition of ZrO 2 layers and thermal annealing journal January 2016
Plasmon-mediated exciton–phonon coupling in a ZnO microtower cavity journal January 2016
Unusual electroluminescence from n-ZnO@i-MgO core–shell nanowire color-tunable light-emitting diode at reverse bias journal January 2014
Integrated optical waveguide and photodetector arrays based on comb-like ZnO structures journal January 2013
A comprehensive review of ZnO materials and devices journal August 2005
High internal quantum efficiency ZnO nanorods prepared at low temperature journal April 2008
Angular dependent luminescence of individual suspended ZnO nanorods journal July 2008
Electrically pumped near-ultraviolet lasing from ZnO/MgO core/shell nanowires journal August 2011
Spectroscopic ellipsometry of epitaxial ZnO layer on sapphire substrate journal June 2000
Hierarchical ZnO nanostructures: Growth mechanisms and surface correlated photoluminescence journal June 2012
Identification and characteristics of ZnO/MgO core-shell nanowires journal March 2015
ZnO nanolasers on graphene films journal June 2016
The 2016 oxide electronic materials and oxide interfaces roadmap journal October 2016
Ordered growth of tilted ZnO nanowires: morphological, structural and optical characterization journal April 2007
Enhanced optical properties and (Zn, Mg) interdiffusion in vapour transport grown ZnO/MgO core/shell nanowires journal December 2013
The shell effect on the room temperature photoluminescence from ZnO/MgO core/shell nanowires: exciton–phonon coupling and strain journal June 2017
Single crystalline ZnO radial homojunction light-emitting diodes fabricated by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition journal September 2017
Multi-angle ZnO microstructures grown on Ag nanorods array for plasmon-enhanced near-UV-blue light emitter journal September 2017
Projector augmented-wave method journal December 1994
Efficient iterative schemes for ab initio total-energy calculations using a plane-wave basis set journal October 1996
From ultrasoft pseudopotentials to the projector augmented-wave method journal January 1999
Theoretical study of the relative stability of wurtzite and rocksalt phases in MgO and GaN journal February 2001
Electronic structure and phase stability of MgO, ZnO, CdO, and related ternary alloys journal June 2008
Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple journal October 1996
Scattering Loss Estimation Using 2-D Fourier Analysis and Modeling of Sidewall Roughness on Optical Waveguides journal June 2013
Displacement Thresholds in ZnO journal January 1972
Surface-plasmon-mediated emission from glancing-angle-deposition-functionalized ZnO nanowires conference October 2012
Room-Temperature Ultraviolet Nanowire Nanolasers journal June 2001
Simultaneous determination of refractive index, its dispersion and depth-profile of magnesium oxide thin film by spectroscopic ellipsometry journal January 1989
Real photonic waveguides: guiding light through imperfections journal January 2014
Graphene coated ZnO nanowire optical waveguides journal January 2014
Fabrication of ultralow-loss Si/SiO_2 waveguides by roughness reduction journal January 2001
Index of refraction of magnesium oxide journal October 1952

Cited By (2)

Core-shell nanowire arrays based on ZnO and CuxO for water stable photocatalysts journal November 2019
pH‐Transformed ZnO‐NPs /NaPTS: The First Room‐Temperature Brisk Synthesis of Flavanones in Aqueous Medium journal December 2018

Similar Records

Identification and characteristics of ZnO/MgO core-shell nanowires
Journal Article · Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · AIP Advances · OSTI ID:22454475

Electro-pumped whispering gallery mode ZnO microlaser array
Journal Article · Sun Jan 11 23:00:00 EST 2015 · Applied Physics Letters · OSTI ID:22399081

Observation of whispering gallery modes in nonpolar m-plane GaN microdisks
Journal Article · Mon Jun 22 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Applied Physics Letters · OSTI ID:21294153