Electric potential and energy band in ZnO nanofiber tuned by local mechanical loading

Abstract

Recent success in strain engineering has triggered tremendous interest in its study and potential applications in nanodevice design. In this paper, we establish a coupled piezoelectric/semiconducting model for a wurtzite structure ZnO nanofiber under the local mechanical loading. The energy band structure tuned by the local mechanical loading and local length is calculated via an eight-band k · p method, which includes the coupling of valance and conduction bands. Poisson’s effect on the distribution of electric potential inversely depends on the local mechanical loading. Numerical results reveal that both the applied local mechanical loading and the local length exhibit obvious tuning effects on the electric potential and energy band. The band gap at band edges varies linearly with the applied loading. Changing the local length shifts the energy band which is far away from the band edges. This study will be useful in the electronic and optical enhancement of semiconductor devices.

Nonlinear analysis on electrical properties in a bended composite piezoelectric semiconductor beam

“…Considering the PN junction between the p-type semiconductor and n-type semiconductor, Luo et al [18] and Guo et al [19] concluded the mechanism of the interaction between load and electric properties in a piezoelectric semiconductor fiber with the PN junction. To deeply understand the physical mechanisms in piezoelectric semiconductors, Yang et al [20] and Fan and Chen [21] explored the effect of mechanical load on the energy band. Composing the piezoelectric dielectrics and non-piezoelectric semiconductors together, Yang et al [22] proposed that the acoustic amplification can also be realized in a laminated plate.…”

Surface deformation-dependent mechanical properties of bending nanowires: an ab initio core-shell model

“…As one of the most promising one-dimensional (1D) nano-sized materials, nanowires have attracted great interests due to their wide applications in miniature devices, e.g., sensors, actuators, transistors, probes, and resonators in nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMSs) and bio-technology [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] . Similar to other nanomaterials, the mechanical properties of nanowires exhibit significant size-dependence, owing to the surface effect induced by a large surface-tovolume ratio [8][9][10] .…”