Electrical characterization of electrochemically grown ZnO nanorods using STM

ZnO nanorods were grown homogenously and vertically on ITO using electrochemical techniques. The physical properties of the nanorods were characterized using SEM and optical absorption. The electrical conductivity, deduced using STM at different tip heights, and was found to be 20 Ω-cm with a carrier concentration of 3×1015 cm-3. The results show that electrochemically grown ZnO nanorods have electrical properties suitable for use in electronic devices such as solar cells and transistors. A-Si:H p-i-n solar cells were then deposited after the fabrication on the ZnO on ITO-coated substrates. The results show that the textured solar cell performance was 30% higher than the planar solar cell. © 2012 Materials Research Society.