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Strong piezoelectricity in individual GaN nanowires

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2011

Majid Minary-Jolandan ,
Rodrigo A. Bernal  and
Horacio D. Espinosa
Majid Minary-Jolandan
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3111
Rodrigo A. Bernal
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3111
Horacio D. Espinosa*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3111
*
Address all correspondence to Horacio D. Espinosa at [email protected]
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Abstract

GaN nanowires are promising building blocks for future nanoelectronics, optoelectronic devices, and nanogenerators. Here, we report on strong piezoelectricity in individual single-crystal GaN nanowires revealed by direct measurement of the piezoelectric constant using piezoresponse force microscopy. Our experimental results show that individual c-axis GaN nanowires, with a characteristic dimension as small as 65 nm, show a shear piezoelectric constant of d15 ~ 10 pm/V, which is several times that measured in bulk. The revealed strong piezoelectricity could open promising opportunities for application of GaN nanowires in nanowire-based sensors and generators for self-powered nanodevices.

Type
Rapid Communications
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , November 2011 , pp. 45 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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