Selective Area Growth of ZnO Nanowires by Chemical Bath Deposition for Piezoelectric-related applications

The objective of this study is to synthesize ZnO nanowires via chemical bath deposition, achieving a high aspect ratio greater than 20, diameters between 10 and 100 nm, lengths from 200 to 2000 nm, a controlled density of 60–80 µm-², and precise vertical alignment relative to the substrate, with a tilt angle below 5°.

A localized growth strategy is employed to achieve these objectives. Circular nucleation patterns with diameters between 20 and 100 nm are defined on rigid substrates coated with a nucleation layer of ZnO, AZO, or Au, using either electron-beam lithography or block copolymer self-assembly. ZnO nanowires are selectively grown from these predefined nucleation sites through chemical bath deposition. The morphological characteristics, including diameter, length, density, and alignment, are controlled by optimizing the chemical bath deposition parameters.

This project is conducted in collaboration with LMGP, CEA-Leti, and, within LTM, with Sébastien Labau and Achmad-Fajar Putranto.