A surface Ag nano-network pattern is formed by first depositing Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on a conductive template, which has a certain defect structure, and then illuminating the Ag NPs with ultraviolet (UV) light in a moist environment. Such an Ag nano-network pattern consists of multiple connected Brownian trees (BTs), which are produced through the diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) process. In the DLA process, diffuse Ag + ions, which are generated by UV light illumination and dissolved by a thin adsorbed water layer on the surfaces of the Ag NPs and used GaN template, settle to form a BT through the combination with excited hot electrons migrating into the template from the Ag NPs. The lateral transport of hot electrons in the template is regulated by the distributions of threading dislocation and point defect cluster in the template, which eventually become the centers of BTs. The structure of a surface Ag nano-network can potentially serve as a transparent conductor.

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The growths of transparent, highly-conductive Ga-doped ZnO (GaZnO) nanoneedles (NNs) on the tops of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and Si solar cells for enhancing light extraction and reducing surface reflection, respectively, and hence increasing their efficiencies are demonstrated. The GaZnO NNs are grown based on the vapor-liquid-solid process by using surface Ag nanoparticles (NPs) as growth catalyst. In the application to LED, the residual Ag NPs can induce the surface plasmon (SP) coupling effect for increasing the LED emission efficiency. By combining the SP coupling effect, the light extraction effects of the GaZnO NNs and simultaneously deposited GaZnO thin film, and the current spreading effect of the thin film, the LED output intensity can be increased by 100%. In the solar cell application, the SP resonance of the residual Ag NPs can also enhance sunlight harvest and hence the energy conversion efficiency. By combining the effects of the residual Ag NPs, the GaZnO thin film, and the GaZnO NNs, the energy conversion efficiency of a Si solar cell can increase from 9.65 to 12.30%, corresponding to a relative enhancement of 27.5%.