ZnO nanobelt/nanowire Schottky diodes formed by dielectrophoresis alignment across Au electrodes

Rectifying diodes of single nanobelt/nanowire-based devices have been fabricated by aligning single ZnO nanobelts/nanowires across paired Au electrodes using dielectrophoresis. A current of 0.5 mu A at 1.5 V forward bias has been received, and the diode can bear an applied voltage of up to 10 V. The ideality factor of the diode is similar to 3, and the on-to-off current ratio is as high as 2000. The detailed IV characteristics of the Schottky diodes have been investigated at low temperatures. The formation of the Schottky diodes is suggested due to the asymmetric contacts formed in the dielectrophoresis aligning process.