High Photo-Responsivity Deep-UV Detector Based on Binary SnO2-Ga2O3 Compound Nanowires Array

Deep-UV photodetectors (DUV PDs) have displayed huge potentials in both military and civilian applications due to the low background noise interference. In this work, the binary SnO2-Ga2O3 compound nanowires array with excellent photo-response properties had been successfully fabricated by using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LP-CVD) with the Ga2O3, SnO2, and carbon powders as reaction sources. The diameter of compound nanowires is approximately 135 nm for binary oxide SnO2-Ga2O3. The SnO2-Ga2O3 nanowires deep-UV photodetector achieved large photo-responsivity (
$R$
) of 2.2 A/W under illumination with a light intensity of
$162~\mu \text{W}$
/cm2 at 5 V, with the high photocurrent of dozens of microamperes. The high photo-response of compound nanowires array may well be owing to the high-quality of crystal and the large exposed area when illuminated; which is the main advantage of nanowire structure. In a word, this work could provide a feasible pathway in boosting the development of nanowire-based DUV PDs based on wide band gap semiconductors, along with promised photo-response characteristics.