Strain effects in a single ZnO microwire with wavy configurations.

We investigate strain-induced optical modulation in a ZnO microwire with wavy geometries induced by mechanical strains. Curved sections of the wavy ZnO microwire show red-/blue-shifts of near-band-edge emission and broadening of full width at half maximum in cathodoluminescence spectra along the length of the wavy ZnO microwire, compared with straight sections. The observed variations indicate that local strains in the wavy ZnO microwire lead to strain-dependent local changes of its energy band structure. The local bending curvature calculations using a geometric model also provide correlation between the shift of the near-band-edge emission peaks and the bending strain.