Electronic structures of well-aligned Er-doped ZnO nanorod arrays

Abstract

Electronic structures of well-aligned Er-doped ZnO (ZnO:Er) nanorod arrays (NRAs) synthesized by a solution-based hydrothermal process were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). HRTEM and angular dependent X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis at O K and Zn L 3 edges indicates that the spontaneous polarization is along the [0001] direction. The analysis of Er L 3-edge XAFS demonstrates that the local structure around Er in the ZnO:Er NRAs was transformed from O h to C 4v after annealing.