Electrically driven lasing in light-emitting devices composed of n-ZnO and p-Si nanowires

Electrically driven lasing was demonstrated in light-emitting devices composed of n-ZnO and p-Si nanowires (NWs). The ZnO NWs were synthesized by thermal chemical vapor deposition and the Si NWs were formed by crystallographic wet etching of a Si wafer. The p-n heterojunction devices were constructed using the NWs by the direct transfer and dielectrophoresis methods. At an excitation current of 2 µA, the electroluminescence spectrum showed lasing behavior, and this phenomenon was explained by the ZnO-nanostructure-related cavity property.