Optical properties of ZnO nanorods and nanowires

We report continuous-wave and time-resolved optical spectroscopy of ZnO nanorods and nanowires of varying diameters grown by MOVPE, under varying thermo-dynamical conditions. We discuss the influence of these conditions on the different spectral components. Two families of photoluminescence lines are identified. The first one is related to defect-bound excitons and to their two-electron replica. The second one is correlated to near surface states. The relative intensities of various contributions appear to be strongly dependent on the growth conditions and of the diameter of the nanostructures. Photoluminescence decay time of the different lines has been measured on one of the samples.