AbstractZnO nanowire (NW) has potential applications for transparent electrodes, gas sensors, nanoscale optoelectronic devices, piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and field effect transistors. In general, we have evaluated the electrical properties of nanowire device from I-V curves measured mainly from the bundle-like ensemble structure of ZnO, not individual ZnO NWs. Most applications require details on the electrical mobility of ZnO NWs. Recently, the electrical transport of single ZnO NWs has been studied only from several devices fabricated by electron-beam lithography. However their I-V curves categorized into three types of resistance, i.e., symmetrical, rectifying and linear shapes due to contact problems between ZnO NWs and electrodes, results in contradictory.In this paper, we manufactured single NW device using an individual ZnO nanowire, of which the junctions were made by Pt deposition using a focused ion beam (FIB), and performed RTA processes. The single ZnO NW device consists of ZnO-Pt, ZnO-Au and Au-Pt junctions. The electrical transport of the single ZnO NW device was investigated by directly measuring the electrical resistance using nano manipulators from cross-sectioned devices. The device showed a typical Ohmic contact in I-V curves and the resistance was decrease with the RTA temperature. The CL (Cathodoluminescence) and EDS in TEM (Energy dispersive spectroscopy in transmission electron microscopy) measurements were also performed to evaluate the crystallinity (defect level) and chemical composition at the center and edge of the cross-sectioned ZnO NWs. From the results, we found that lots of defects were stored at the surface of ZnO NW and impurities at the junction were abruptly reduced. Therefore, the electrical transport of the single ZnO NW device depends strongly on the crystallinity of the ZnO NW and the C content at the Pt junction. From the electrical transport measured on the cross sectioned device, the ZnO-Au junction acted as the fastest transport path among ZnO-Pt, ZnO-Au and Au-Pt junctions in the single ZnO NW device.
