Effect of indium concentration on luminescence and electrical properties of indium doped ZnO nanowires

• Indium (In) doped ZnO nanowires were grown by chemical vapor deposition at 550 °C.
• In doping leads to an increase in the intensity of visible light emission.
• Resistivity of the ZnO nanowire is lowered at high (3.47 at.%) In doping.
• In doped ZnO nanowire field effect transistor (FET) was fabricated.
• Mobility and carrier concentration were determined.

In this work, indium (In) doped ZnO nanowires are grown on a Si substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), at a relatively low temperature of 550 °C. The effects of In concentration on the morphology, microstructure, luminescence and electrical properties of ZnO nanowires are investigated. The diameters and lengths of these nanowires are in the ranges of 70–311 nm and 10–15 μm, respectively. These nanowires are single crystals growing in the [0001] direction. The maximum solubility of In in ZnO is estimated to be 3.47 at.%. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra reveal a red shift in the ultraviolet emission and intensity enhancement in the green emission with increasing indium doping concentration. Besides, carrier concentration, mobility and resistivity of the nanowires with different doping concentrations are determined based on single-nanowire field effect transistors (FET).