In-Situ Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanostructures Using Microheaters

A technique for in-situ hydrothermal synthesis of transversely suspended zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs) using microfabricated heaters is presented. A number of issues relating to seed layer preparation, directed alignment, local heating control, and the concentration of the synthesis solution are investigated for this method. It is shown that ZnO NWs can be synthesized and aligned from the ZnO seed surface to bridge two adjacent microheater elements. Moreover, hybrid ZnO nanotubes and nanorods are also synthesized by controlling the concentration of the synthesis solution employed. The crystalline structure of synthesized ZnO nanostructures are characterized by the transmission electron microscope and selective area electron diffraction. Finally, ZnO NW devices based on proposed microheater synthesis approach are characterised for UV photoresponsivity demonstrating the potential of this approach to address practical device applications.