Finite element modeling of zinc oxide nanowire structures

We report comprehensive modeling and simulation of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanowires. Both static and harmonic analyses were performed using commercial FEM analysis software. We also carried out theoretical studies based on fundamental beam theory for comparative studies in determining capabilities of FEM modeling for nano-scale structures such as the ZnO nanowires being reported. Static deflection, piezoelectric charge distribution, modal and harmonic frequency sweeps were simulated for nanowires of varying dimensions (300 to 1000 nm in length, 15 to 80 nm in radii). The models perform accurately for nanowire structures with radii above 50 nm, with 7.85% deviation whereas error rates increase above 95% for smaller radii.