Current-Voltage Characteristics of ZnO Nanowires Under Uniaxial Loading

The charge transport in zinc-oxide piezosemiconductive nanowires under purely vertical compressive or tensile strains is investigated. For simplicity, only the additional band bending originated by the piezoelectric charges has been accounted for. Moreover, a constant volumetric piezoelectric charge density is assumed, distributed within a maximum distance delta(piezo) from the two junctions between the metal ends and the nanowire. Examples demonstrate that the carrier concentration, the energy conduction band profile, and the current-voltage characteristics significantly depend on delta(piezo). Therefore, we propose the use of current-voltage measurements to obtain information on delta(piezo) in strained piezosemiconductors.