Electroluminescence and rectifying properties of heterojunction LEDs based on ZnO nanorods

n-ZnO NR/p-Si and n-ZnO NR/p-PEDOT/PSS heterojunction light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been fabricated with ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown by a low-temperature method as well as by employing pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The low-temperature method involves growing the ZnO nanorods by the reaction of water with zinc metal. The current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the heterojunctions show good rectifying diode characteristics. The electroluminescence (EL) spectra of the nanorods show an emission band at around 390 nm and defect related bands in the 400–550 nm region. Room-temperature electroluminescence is detected under forward bias for both the heterostructures. With the low-temperature grown nanorods, the defect related bands in the 400–550 nm range are more intense in the EL spectra, whereas with the PLD grown nanorods, only the 390 nm band is prominent.