Electrically pumped random lasing based on an Au–ZnO nanowire Schottky junction

Electrically pumped random lasing based on an Au–ZnO nanowire Schottky junction diode is demonstrated. The device exhibits typical Schottky diode current–voltage characteristics with a turn-on voltage of 0.7 V. Electroluminescence characterization shows good random lasing behavior and the output power is about 67 nW at a drive current of 100 mA. Excitonic recombination is responsible for lasing generation. Zn plasma is only observed under high applied bias, which can be distinguished from the random lasing spectral features near 380 nm. The laser diode based on the Schottky junction provides an alternative approach towards semiconductor random lasers.