Laser‐Ablation Growth and Optical Properties of Wide and Long Single‐Crystal SnO2 Ribbons

Abstract
Wide and long ribbons of single‐crystalline SnO2 have been achieved via laser ablation of a SnO2 target. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows the as‐grown SnO2 ribbons are structurally perfect and uniform, with widths of 300–500 nm, thicknesses of 30–50 nm (width‐to‐thickness ratio of ∼ 10), and lengths ranging from several hundreds of micrometers to the order of millimeters. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) spectral analysis indicate that the ribbons have the phase structure and chemical composition of the rutile form of SnO2. Selected‐area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns and high‐resolution TEM images reveal that the ribbons are single crystals and grow along the [100] crystal direction. Photoluminescence measurements show that the synthesized SnO2 ribbons have one strong emission band at ∼ 605 nm and a red‐shift of ∼ 30 nm, as compared to standard SnO2 powder, which may be attributed to crystal defects and residual strains accommodated during the growth of the ribbons.