Optical and structural properties of Eu-diffused and doped ZnO nanowires

Single crystal ZnO nanowires diffused with europium (Eu) from a solid source at 900 °C for 1 h or doped with Eu during growth have been characterized. The ZnO nanowires were grown by chemical vapor deposition on Si substrates employing Au as a catalyst. The diameter of the resulting nanowires was ∼200 nm with a length of 1 μm. Photoluminescence spectra excited by a He–Cd laser at room temperature showed the green luminescence at 515 nm in Eu-diffused nanowires. A small red shift of near-band-edge emission of ZnO nanowires was observed in the diffused wires, but sharp emission from Eu3 ions was not present. Transmission electron microscopy shows crystalline Eu2O3 formation on the diffused nanowire surface, which forms a coaxial heterostructure system. When Eu was incorporated during the nanowire growth, the sharp 5DO–7F2 transition of the Eu3+ ion at around 615 nm was observed.