Synthesis and study of crystallographically oriented zinc oxide (Zno) nanostructures

Abstract

This chapter presents a brief review of the nanostructures and their remarkable features. The material of interest, i.e. Zinc Oxide (ZnO), has been explored in detail with its properties and applications. A brief discussion of the synthesis technique used in the present thesis is also highlighted. The general background and theory of glancing angle deposition technique along with its unique features have also been summarized. In 1959, a famous physicist Richard Feynman (Noble prize winner of Physics in 1965) while referring to the physics of materials coined a sentence “there is plenty of room at the bottom” during his talk in a conference at the American Physical Society. This encouraged the scientists, and since then the research on nanomaterials boosted up. The term ‘Nano’ generally refers to the structure of a material having at least one dimension between 1 and 100 nm. The study and technology which encompasses such dimensions of structures are known as ‘Nanoscience’ and ‘Nanotechnology’, respectively. From the past few years, the field of nanotechnology has spread its feathers into the various areas of science and engineering including, bio, civil, military, astronomy etc. The technology enables to produce the nanostructures not only with unique designs but with fascinating functional properties of materials. Therefore, depending on the properties of nanostructures, the technology can be categorized into nanoelectronics and nanophotonics etc. With the advancement of this technology, various applications of nanostructures have been realized and implemented too. Till now, the nanostructures of different materials, including oxides and nitrides, have been prepared using various synthesis techniques, and a variety of morphologies have been obtained (Fig. 1.1). The functional nanostructures of semiconductor materials play a vital role in device-based technology. In recent years, the growth of low dimensional semiconductor nanostructures and their integration into working devices have revolutionized the semiconductor technology. Therefore, the low dimensions (e.g. 1D) of nanostructures such as wires, tubes, rods and belts have significantly stimulated the basic research in the scientific as well as industrial communities.