Heteroepitaxial Patterned Growth of Vertically Aligned and Periodically Distributed ZnO Nanowires on GaN Using Laser Interference Ablation

Abstract

A simple two‐step method of fabricating vertically aligned and periodically distributed ZnO nanowires on gallium nitride (GaN) substrates is described. The method combines laser interference ablation (LIA) and low temperature hydrothermal decomposition. The ZnO nanowires grow heteroepitaxially on unablated regions of GaN over areas spanning 1 cm2, with a high degree of control over size, orientation, uniformity, and periodicity. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are utilized to study the structural characteristics of the LIA‐patterned GaN substrate in detail. These studies reveal the possible mechanism for the preferential, site‐selective growth of the ZnO nanowires. The method demonstrates high application potential for wafer‐scale integration into sensor arrays, piezoelectric devices, and optoelectronic devices.

One-dimensional ZnO nanostructures: Solution growth and functional properties

“…Other than that, based on laser interference, two-dimensional (2D) [290] or 3D [291] periodic structures could be generated by so-called laser interference lithography. The periodically distributed high intensity of light physically burned off the polymer mask layer [292,293] or the substrate itself [294], which was used to pattern the growth of ZnO nanowire arrays. For example, in a study by Wei et al [293], the nanowire growth method followed what had been previously reported [48,91].…”

Design and tailoring of patterned ZnO nanostructures for energy conversion applications

“…Several strategies have been proposed to fabricate highly ordered ZnO NAs, such as nanosphere lithography (NSL) [64][65][66][67][68], electron beam lithography (EBL) [69][70][71][72], optical lithography (OL), and laser interference lithography (LIL) techniques [73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80]. Among these, self-assembled NSL is a simple and economical technique, which employs twodimensional (2D) self-assembled nanometer-sized polystyrene spheres as lithography masks to fabricate patterned arrays [64].…”

Recent Progress in Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanomaterials

“…(1). For patterned growth on GaN, laser interference ablation was used [87]. For patterning larger areas (rather than controlling density and size of individual nanorods, photolithography can be used [57,90,110].…”

“…Also, while electron beam lithgraphy enables preparation of sufficiently small patterns, it may still be necessary to optimize growth parameters, such as temperature, to avoid growth of multiple nanorods from a single seed island [127]. (2), which could be grown over areas as large as 1 cm 2 [87]. Monolayers of colloidal crystals [125] can also be used for large area patterning.…”