This review presents recent research advances in measuring native point defects in ZnO nanostructures, establishing how these defects a ect nanoscale electronic properties, and developing new techniques to manipulate these defects to control nano- and micro- wire electronic properties.From spatially-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, we now know that electrically-active native point defects are present inside, as well as at the surfaces of, ZnO and other semiconductor nanostructures. These defects within nanowires and at their metal interfaces can dominate electrical contact properties, yet they are sensitive to manipulation by chemical interactions, energy beams, as well as applied electrical fields. Non-uniform defect distributions are common among semiconductors, and their e ects are magnified in semiconductor nanostructures so that their electronic e ects are significant. The ability to measure native point defects directly on a nanoscale and manipulate their spatial distributions by multiple techniques presents exciting possibilities for future ZnO nanoscale electronics.
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Defects at nanoscale semiconductor interfaces: Challenges and opportunities
The past 75 years has been an exciting and dynamic time for solid-state electronic materials with advanced micro- and optoelectronic properties but point defects at semiconductor–metal interfaces that limit their operation have been a challenge to understand and control. These defects depend strongly on chemical structure at the intimate interface, and techniques have now developed to learn how their presence at nanoscale dimensions impact electronic structure at the macroscale. A combination of optical, electronic, and microscopic techniques can now enable new directions for defect research of metal–semiconductor interfaces at the nano/atomic scale. These nanoscale and atomic scale techniques can meet the experimental challenges inherent at this scale and create opportunities for new defect research of electronic material interfaces at a deeper level.
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10476714
- Publisher / Repository:
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Materials Research
- Volume:
- 39
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0884-2914
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 177-187
- Size(s):
- ["p. 177-187"]
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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