Low-Temperature PLD-Growth of Ultrathin ZnO Nanowires by Using Zn(x)Al(1−x)O and Zn(x)Ga(1−x)O Seed Layers

ZnO nanowires (NWs) are used as building blocks for a wide range of different devices, e.g. light emitters, resonators, and sensors. Integration of the NWs into such structures requires a high level of NWs’ diameter control. Here, we present that the doping concentration of Zn(x)Al(1−x)O and Zn(x)Ga(1−x)O seed layers has a strong impact on the NW growth and allows to tune the diameter of the NWs by two orders of magnitude down to less than 7 nm. These ultrathin NWs exhibit a well-oriented vertical growth and thus are promising for the investigation of quantum effects. The doping of the ZnO seed layers has also an impact on the deposition temperature which can be reduced down to T≈400(∘)C. This temperature is much smaller than those typically used for the fabrication of NWs by pulsed laser deposition. A comparison of the NWs indicates a stronger impact of the Ga doping on the NW growth than for the Al doping which we attribute to an impact of the size of the dopants. The optical properties of the NWs were investigated by cathodoluminescence spectroscopy which revealed a high crystalline quality. For the thin nanowires, the emission characteristic is mainly determined by the properties of the surface near region. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s11671-017-1906-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.