Abstract
We conduct systematical cathodoluminescence study on red-shift of near-band-edge emission energy in elastic bent ZnO nanowires with diameters within the exciton diffusion length (~ 200 nm) in liquid nitrogen temperature (81 K). By charactering the emission spectra of the nanowires with different local curvatures, we find a linear relationship between strain-gradient and the red-shift of near-band-edge emission photon energy, an elastic strain-gradient effect in semiconductor similar to the famous flexoelectric effect in liquid crystals. Our results provide a new route to understand the inhomogeneous strain effect on the energy bands and optical properties of semiconductors and should be useful for designing advanced nano-optoelectronic devices.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 509-515 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Frontiers of Physics |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- ZnO nanowire
- cathodoluminescene
- energy bands
- exciton energy
- strain-gradient