Ammonia plasma modification towards a rapid and low temperature approach for tuning electrical conductivity of ZnO nanowires on flexible substrates.

Though the fabrication of ZnO nanostructures is economical and low temperature, the lack of a facile, reliable and low temperature methodology to tune its electrical conductivity has prevented it from competing with other semiconductors. Here, we carried out surface modification of ZnO nanowires using ammonia plasma with no heat treatment, and studied their electrical properties over an extended time frame of more than a year. The fabrication of flexible devices was demonstrated via various methods of transferring and aligning as-synthesized ZnO nanowires onto plastic substrates. Hall measurements of the plasma modified ZnO nanowires revealed p-type conductivity. The N1s peak was present in the X-ray photoelectron spectrum of the surface modified ZnO, showing the presence of ammonia complexes. Low temperature photoluminescence showed evidence of acceptor-bound exciton emission. The resulting electrical devices, a chemical sensor and p-n homojunction, show the tunable electrical response of the surface modified ZnO nanowires.