Laser-interference lithography tailored for highly symmetrically arranged ZnO nanowire arrays

An effective and reliable approach for the preparation of large-area, long-range ordered ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays is developed by combining laser-interference lithography (LIL) for templating and a chemical-vapor- transport process for nanowire growth. The ZnO nanowires show a narrow diameter distribution and uniform spacing. A liquid-phase-assisted vapor-solid growth process is responsible for the growth of ZnO NWs on GaN/Si substrates. The CL spectrum of the ZnO NW arrays is dominated by bound-exciton emissions. Intensity mapping of the neutral-donor bound-exciton line allows visualization of individual nanowires. The patterning and growth approach is suitable for application in electronics, optoelectronics, and biological sensing devices, for which a regular array of well-defined ZnO nanowires is required.