Electrical properties of ZnO nanorods studied by conductive atomic force microscopy


Electrical properties of ZnO nanorods studied by conductive atomic force microscopy

Beinik, I.; Kratzer, M.; Wachauer, A.; Wang, L.; Lechner, R. T.; Teichert, C.; Motz, C.; Anwand, W.; Brauer, G.; Chen, X. Y.; Hsu, X. Y.; Djurisic, A. B.

ZnO nanostructures are promising candidates for the development of novel electronic devices due to their unique electrical and optical properties. Here, we present a complementary electrical characterization of individual upright standing and lying ZnO nanorods using conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). Initially, the electrical properties of the arrays of upright standing ZnO NRs were characterized using two-dimensional current maps. The current maps were recorded simultaneously with the topography acquired by contact mode AFM. Further, C-AFM was utilized to determine the local current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the top and side facets of individual upright standing NRs. Current-voltage characterization revealed a characteristic similar to that of a Schottky diode. Detailed discussion of the electrical properties is based on local I-V curves, as well as on the 2D current maps recorded from specific areas.

Keywords: ZnO nanorods; conductive atomic force microscopy; electrical properties

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-15981
Publ.-Id: 15981