Vertical integration of ZnO nanowires into asymmetric Pt/ZnO/Ti schottky UV photodiodes

The direct vertical integration of zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanowires to form rectifying UV photodiodes featuring asymmetric Schottky bottom platinum-ZnO junctions and ohmic top ZnO-titanium contacts has been demonstrated. Current-voltage electrical measurements of a prototype ZnO nanowire photodetector exhibit the characteristic rectifying behavior under dark conditions. Upon illumination with a 325 nm-wavelength HeCd UV laser, a magnitude-increase in the photocurrent was measured in the device. This versatile, highly-scalable nanowire device architecture could serve as the platform for future nano-electro-mechanical system (NEMS) applications, including nano-image sensors and high-density memory devices.