Carrier Density and Schottky Barrier on the Performance of DC Nanogenerator

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• 作者：Jin Liu ; Peng Fei ; Jinhui Song ; Xudong Wang ; Changshi Lao ; Rao Tummala ; Zhong Lin Wang
• 刊名：Nano Letters
• 出版年：2008
• 出版时间：January 2008
• 年：2008
• 卷：8
• 期：1
• 页码：328 - 332
• 全文大小：333K
• 年卷期：v.8,no.1(January 2008)
• ISSN：1530-6992

文摘

By assembling a ZnO nanowire (NW) array based nanogenerator (NG) that is transparent to UV light, we have investigated the performanceof the NG by tuning its carrier density and the characteristics of the Schottky barrier at the interface between the metal electrode and the NW.The formation of a Schottky diode at the interface is a must for the effective operation of the NG. UV light not only increases the carrierdensity in ZnO but also reduces the barrier height. A reduced barrier height greatly weakens the function of the barrier for preserving thepiezoelectric potential in the NW for an extended period of time, resulting in little output current. An increased carrier density speeds up therate at which the piezoelectric charges are screened/neutralized, but a very low carrier density prevents the flow of current through the NWs.Therefore, there is an optimum conductance of the NW for maximizing the output of the NG. Our study provides solid evidence to furtherprove the mechanism proposed for the piezoelectric NG and piezotronics. The output current density of the NG has been improved to 8.3A/cm².