Two-Photon Excited Ultraviolet Photoluminescence of Zinc Oxide Nanorods

High density zinc oxide nanorods with uniform size were synthesized on (100) silicon substrate by vapor-phase transport method. The scanning electron microscopy images reveal that the nanorods have an average diameter of about 400 nm. The X-ray diffraction pattern demonstrates the wurtzite crystalline structure of the ZnO nanorods growing along [0001] direction. The single-photon excited photoluminescence presents a strong ultraviolet emission band at 394 nm and a weak visible emission band at 600 nm. When the ZnO nanorods were respectively pumped by various wavelength lasers from 520 nm to 700 nm, two-photon excited ultraviolet photoluminescence was observed. The dependence of the two-photon excited photoluminescence intensity on the excitation wavelength and power was investigated in detail.