title: Design Concepts, Fabrication and Advanced Characterization Methods of Innovative Piezoelectric Sensors Based on ZnO Nanowires.
abstract: Micro- and nano-scale materials and systems based on zinc oxide are expected to explode in their applications in the electronics and photonics, including nano-arrays of addressable optoelectronic devices and sensors, due to their outstanding properties, including semiconductivity and the presence of a direct bandgap, piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity and biocompatibility. Most applications are based on the cooperative and average response of a large number of ZnO micro/nanostructures. However, in order to assess the quality of the materials and their performance, it is fundamental to characterize and then accurately model the specific electrical and piezoelectric properties of single ZnO structures. In this paper, we report on focused ion beam machined high aspect ratio nanowires and their mechanical and electrical (by means of conductive atomic force microscopy) characterization. Then, we investigate the suitability of new power-law design concepts to accurately model the relevant electrical and mechanical size-effects, whose existence has been emphasized in recent reviews.
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Division of DIAEE, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome 00184, Italy. rodolfo.araneo@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Araneo
authors.affiliation: International Research Center for Mathematics & Mechanics of Complex Systems, University of L'Aquila, Cisterna di Latina (LT) 04012, Italy, and with ENEA, Research Center Casaccia, Rome 00123, Italy. antonio.rinaldi@enea.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnology - CNR, Rome 00156, Italy. andrea.notargiacomo@ifn.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Notargiacomo
authors.affiliation: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department-DIMA, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome 00184, Italy. fabiano.bini@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Fabiano
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bini
authors.affiliation: Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnology - CNR, Rome 00156, Italy. marialilia.pea@ifn.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Marialilia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pea
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Division of DIAEE, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome 00184, Italy. salvatore.celozzi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Celozzi
authors.affiliation: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department-DIMA, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome 00184, Italy. franco.marinozzi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marinozzi
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Division of DIAEE, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome 00184, Italy. giampiero.lovat@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lovat