Zinc Oxide Nanowire Networks for Macroelectronic Devices

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire networks have been proposed as an alternative to organic and amorphous semiconductors for plastic electronics. Although the mobility of the ZnO networks is lower than that of individual nanowires, they offer the advantages of high transparency and flexibility. A major drawback of using individual nanowires in nano or microelectronic applications is the lack of a manufacturable process to precisely assemble nanowires into small devices. The use of ZnO networks avoid this issue for relatively large area macroelectronic devices since the devices exhibit the average properties of a large number of random individual nanowires. In this work, we have deposited uniform ZnO thin films using an easy, scalable, stamping method and characterized their electronic and optoelectronic properties. We have also demonstrated the use of ZnO networks as an active material in thin film transistors where mobility values in excess of 20 cm²/Vs has been achieved. The results presented here simply reveal the potential use of inorganic nanowires for optoelectronic devices.