Effect of a buffer layer on the dynamic injection of hot electrons in an Au/Ag NRs@SiO2@ZnO:Ga MW

Abstract

Surface plasmons (SPs) have been extensively utilized to improve the light emission of semiconductor devices due to their exceptional light-harvesting capability. Upon light excitation, hot electrons derived from the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of metallic nanostructures can be injected into adjacent semiconductors, thereby increasing carrier concentration. Moreover, an electrical driving force can cause the emission of red light from an incandescent-type light source composed of Au/Ag nanorods (Au/Ag NRs) decorated with a single Ga-doped ZnO microwire (Au/Ag NRs@ZnO:Ga MW). In this study, we focus on the dynamic injection of hot electrons under an electrical driving force by introducing a buffer layer of silica into the Au/Ag NRs@ZnO:Ga MW. Benefiting from SPs, incandescent-type light can be observed with the central wavelength located in the near-infrared region. By modulating the thickness of the buffer layer, we investigate the variation in the emission wavelength of the MW, reflecting the influence of SP-hot-electron interactions on the dynamic emission procedure.