Award Abstract #0103096
NER: Feasibility Studies on ZnO Nanostructures And Their Device Applications

NSF Org:	CCF Division of Computer and Communication Foundations
Initial Amendment Date:	July 7, 2001
Latest Amendment Date:	July 7, 2001
Award Number:	0103096
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	S. Kamal Abdali CCF Division of Computer and Communication Foundations CSE Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering
Start Date:	June 15, 2001
Expires:	December 31, 2002 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$100000
Investigator(s):	Yicheng Lu ylu@rci.rutgers.edu (Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Rutgers University New Brunswick 3 RUTGERS PLAZA NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901 732/932-0150
NSF Program(s):	SPECIAL PROJECTS - CCF
Field Application(s):
Program Reference Code(s):	HPCC, 9216, 1676
Program Element Code(s):	2878

ABSTRACT

PROPOSAL NO.: 0103096

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Lu, Yicheng

INSTITUTION NAME: Rutgers University New Brunswick

TITLE: NER: Feasibility Studies on ZnO Nanostructures And Their Device Applications

This proposal addresses the exploratory research on zinc oxide (ZnO) based nanoscale structures

and feasibility study of their device applications. ZnO is a multifunctional material possessing unique

electrical, optical, acoustical, and mechanical properties. Semiconductor ZnO has a wide and direct

energy bandgap (~3.3eV). ZnO can be grown at low temperatures, in contrast with the other wide

bandgap materials, such as GaN and SiC. Its ternary compounds, formed by alloying ZnO with CdO and

MgO, permit bandgap tuning from ~2.8 eV to ~4 eV. Doped ZnO ternaries can be made magnetic or

ferroelectric, extending its applications beyond the traditional semiconductor confines. In this exploratory

research, we will study growth mechanisms and conduct substrate engineering for selective growth of

ZnO nanotips and nanotip arrays on various substrates, including R-plane sapphire, Si, silicon-on-sapphire

(SOS), and GaN-on-sapphire. Feasibility studies of ZnO nanotip applications will focus on field-emission,

two-dimensional photonic bandgap (PBG), and fine instrumentation such as atomic force

microscopy and scanning tunneling optical microscopy. We will also explore the feasibility to form CdO

quantum dots in ZnO using the activated alloy phase segregation mechanism, which may be proved as a

viable alternative to the Stranski-Krastanov mechanism. These quantum dots have potential applications

in UV lasers and integrated UV optoelectronic chips. The proposed work will extend the research on

nanoscale structures and devices into the field of wide bandgap semiconductor nanoscale science and

engineering. The research and development of nanoscale structures in ZnO and its ternaries will lead to a

fundamentally new class of devices, which integrate multi-phenomena and posses unprecedented multi-functional

characteristics.

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