Synthesis, morphology and time resolved laser spectroscopy of nanomaterials

Abstract

Laser induced photoluminescence is a contactless and nondestructive spectroscopic technique used for lifetime measurements, bandgap determination, impurity levels and defect detection, studying recombination mechanisms and material quality. Nanotechnology is the branch of science studying the phenomena occurring at atomic and molecular levels when the size of the particle is reduced to1-100 nm and finding the possibilities of interlinking non-living world with living world. Semiconductors have attracted attention because these exhibit curious structures and various remarkable physical, chemical and electrical properties distinctive from those of conventional bulk materials. Among the various semiconductors, zinc oxide (ZnO) having a direct bandgap of 3.37 eV and large exciton binding energy (60meV), can promise practical applications in the area of nanoscale laser diodes and ultraviolet (UV) sensors. ZnO nanostructures have attracted much more attention owing to their great potential for fundamental studies as well as for applications in one-dimensional nanodevices and other functional materials.