RUI: Role of the Ambient in the Electrical Properties at the Interface for ZnO Systems

技术：本项目深入研究了氧化锌块体、薄膜和纳米线系统在不同温度和不同环境中、在光照下以及在不同线长、薄膜厚度和块体取向下的界面电学行为。虽然氧化锌纳米线的光学性质开始受到关注，但关于其电学性质的讨论很少，特别是在单线结构中。最近对薄膜和块体材料的研究表明，氧化锌/环境界面可能对导电性能有很大的贡献，这可能与氧化锌不可复制和不稳定的p型导电性有关。缺乏可靠的p型掺杂和关于这些界面贡献的信息的相对缺乏都极大地挑战了在氧化锌器件应用方面的进展和对纳米尺度上的电学行为的理解。非技术性：该项目解决了材料科学中具有高度技术相关性的专题领域的基础研究问题。这项研究将进一步加深对体相和纳米氧化锌界面过程的理解，这将导致未来更可靠的材料的发展，从而产生更高的可靠性、更长的寿命和更高的效率，如明亮的光源、紫外光探测器和气体传感器。海滨卡罗莱纳大学主要是一所本科院校，有招收物理学专业代表不足的少数族裔和女性的历史。本科生，包括那些代表不足的小组的学生，将接受基于原子力显微镜(AFM)的技术的表面电学特性培训。

Technical: This project is an in-depth investigation of the electrical behavior at the interface of ZnO bulk, thin film and nanowire systems at various temperatures and in different ambient environments, under illumination, and with varying wire length, film thickness and bulk orientation. Although the optical properties of ZnO nanowires are beginning to receive attention, there is very little discussion concerning their electrical properties, specifically in single wire configurations. Recent studies of films and bulk material suggest that the ZnO/ambient interface may significantly contribute to conductive properties, which may be related to the irreproducible and unstable p-type conductivity of ZnO. Both the lack of reliable p-type doping and the relative lack of information on these interface contributions significantly challenges progress in ZnO device applications and the understanding of the electrical behavior on the nano-scale. Non-technical: The project addresses basic research issues in a topical area of materials science with high technological relevance. This study will further the understanding of processes at the interface of bulk and nano-scale ZnO, which could lead to the future growth of more reliable material, resulting in higher reliability, longer lifetime, and higher efficiency bright light sources, UV detectors, and gas sensors. Coastal Carolina University is a primarily undergraduate institution with a history of recruiting underrepresented minorities and women in physics. Undergraduate students, including those in under-represented groups, will be trained for surface electrical properties by atomic force microscopy (AFM) based techniques.