Bending-induced conductance increase in individual semiconductor nanowires and nanobelts

Abstract

Reliable ohmic contacts were established in order to study the strain sensitivity of nanowires and nanobelts. Significant conductance increases of up to 113% were observed on bending individual ZnO nanowires or CdS nanobelts. This bending strain-induced conductance enhancement was confirmed by a variety of bending measurements, such as using different manipulating tips (silicon, glass or tungsten) to bend the nanowires or nanobelts, and is explained by bending-induced effective tensile strain based on the principle of the piezoresistance effect. © Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag 2009.