Lin HY et al. (2011), Integrated nanophotonic hubs based on ZnO-Tb(OH...

ECB-ART-42153

Nanoscale Res Lett 2011 Aug 22;61:503. doi: 10.1186/1556-276X-6-503.

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Integrated nanophotonic hubs based on ZnO-Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanocomposites.

Lin HY , Cheng CL , Lin YS , Hung Y , Mou CY , Chen YF .

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Optical integration is essential for practical application, but it remains unexplored for nanoscale devices. A newly designed nanocomposite based on ZnO semiconductor nanowires and Tb(OH)3/SiO2 core/shell nanospheres has been synthesized and studied. The unique sea urchin-type morphology, bright and sharply visible emission bands of lanthanide, and large aspect ratio of ZnO crystalline nanotips make this novel composite an excellent signal receiver, waveguide, and emitter. The multifunctional composite of ZnO nanotips and Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanoparticles therefore can serve as an integrated nanophotonics hub. Moreover, the composite of ZnO nanotips deposited on a Tb(OH)3/SiO2 photonic crystal can act as a directional light fountain, in which the confined radiation from Tb ions inside the photonic crystal can be well guided and escape through the ZnO nanotips. Therefore, the output emission arising from Tb ions is truly directional, and its intensity can be greatly enhanced. With highly enhanced lasing emissions in ZnO-Tb(OH)3/SiO2 as well as SnO2-Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanocomposites, we demonstrate that our approach is extremely beneficial for the creation of low threshold and high-power nanolaser.

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	Figure 1. Fabrication of ZnO-Tb(OH)3/SiO2 composites. (a) XRD pattern and (b) SEM image of an initially grown ZnO nanotip on a Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanosphere. Inset is the TEM image of a single Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanoparticle of 250 nm with the scale bar of 50 nm. (c) SEM image of ZnO nanotip composites, sea urchin-type.
	Figure 2. ZnO nanotip adhering to a Tb(OH)3/SiO2. (a) An electron beam was focused at a point (white dot) on the ZnO nanowire, which was grown on a Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanosphere with an acceleration voltage of 10 keV. (b) Collected CL spectrum of (a). The inset is the CL spectrum of pure ZnO nanowires.
	Figure 3. Demonstration of the waveguide behavior of ZnO nanowires. CL image of sea urchin-like ZnO-Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanocomposites taken at 300 nm with an electron acceleration voltage of 15 keV. The inset is the corresponding SEM image.
	Figure 4. Optical response of the assembled Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanospheres and the resulting luminescence change. (a) Top view and (b) lateral SEM images of assembled Tb(OH)3/SiO2 nanospheres. (c) Transmittance spectrum of (a). (d) CL spectrum of randomly dispersed Tb(OH)3/SiO2 (dotted line) and CL spectrum of assembled Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs (solid line), both were taken at an electron acceleration voltage of 15 kV.
	Figure 5. CL properties showing the emissions of Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs under different excitation currents. (a) Stimulated CL emission spectra of Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs with a diameter of 250 nm taken at an electron acceleration voltage of 15 kV. (b) Emission intensity at 543 and 551 nm vs the excitation current. The inset is the CL image taken at full wavelength with an acceleration voltage of 5 kV.
	Figure 6. Enhancement on the stimulated emission of Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs by using ZnO nanowires. CL spectra of only Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs (solid line) and ZnO nanotips-Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs (dotted line) taken at an electron acceleration voltage of 20 keV. Inset is the optical image of rice paddy-like ZnO-Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs nanocomposites. White regions denote the Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs with ZnO nanowires. (b) Emission spectra of Tb(OH)3/SiO2 PCs with and without SnO2 nanowires under the excitation current of 8 × 10-9 A. Inset is the emission intensity of Tb(OH)3/SiO2 with SnO2 nanowires vs excitation current.

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