ABSTRACT
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a IIb-VI compound semiconductor with a large direct band gap of around 3.37 eV at room temperature and crystallizes preferentially in the hexagonal wurtzite structure. It is a multifunctional material with promising optical, piezoelectric, and ferromagnetic properties which can be exploited in a diverse range of applications such as solid-state lighting [1-3], solar cells [4], transparent conductor [5], active material for varistors [6], transparent transistors [7], piezoelectric power generation [8], dilute magnetic semiconductor [9,10], spintronics, and magneto-optical switches [11]. It can be grown with a wide variety of techniques as described in the other parts of this book. One interesting property of this wide gap semiconductor is its propensity to form nanostructures such as rods, wires, belts, tubes, and brushes, which can be exploited for new applications.
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