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Single Nanowire Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) have drawn significant attention from the nanotechnology community because of their unique properties that enable new technologies. They have been suggested as elements in next generation field effect transistors, single molecule (bio- or chemical) sensors, nanoscale lo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physical chemistry. C 2012-06, Vol.116 (23), p.12379-12396
Main Authors: Vietmeyer, Felix, McDonald, Matthew P, Kuno, Masaru
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) have drawn significant attention from the nanotechnology community because of their unique properties that enable new technologies. They have been suggested as elements in next generation field effect transistors, single molecule (bio- or chemical) sensors, nanoscale logic circuitry, lasers, , and photodetectors. , NWs have even been used in solar cells. , However, what is puzzling is that there have been relatively few studies about their optical properties, despite the fact that nanowires are often touted for their interesting optoelectronic properties. In this review, we describe and consolidate what we and others have learned about the optical properties of this important low dimensional system. We begin with ensemble studies about the absorption and emission of CdSe NWs. We then focus on single nanowire microscopies and spectroscopies, which remove intrinsic heterogeneities that obscure detailed yet important NW physics. In particular, we discuss single nanowire absorption cross sections, polarization-dependent excitation/emission anisotropies, time-resolved dynamics, nanowire emission quantum yields, and the extinction spectroscopy of single NWs. Experimental results are presented while key theoretical concepts are outlined to rationalize our findings. Through these studies, we have begun to develop a microscopic picture of NW photophysics that includes electrostatic effects, strongly enhanced in nanoscale materials. We conclude with thoughts about future single nanowire measurements that will likely provide new perspectives about the interplay between electric fields, spectral diffusion, and flickering in 1D NWs and in other related nanosystems.
ISSN:1932-7447
1932-7455
DOI:10.1021/jp3010162