In-situ fabrication of CuO/ZnO heterojunctions at room temperature for a self-powered UV sensor

This work presents a novel, low-cost, wet chemical fabrication technique to develop a self-powered photonic sensor. Thin films of zinc and copper were DC-sputtered on an ITO-coated glass slide, followed by an in-situ one-step oxidation of copper and zinc to form CuO (copper oxide) and ZnO (zinc oxid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials today communications 2024-06, Vol.39, p.109038, Article 109038
Main Authors: Pathak, Pawan, Chimerad, Mohammadreza, Borjian, Pouya, Cho, Hyoung J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical oxidation
Metal oxide semiconductors
Self-powered
UV sensor
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Summary:This work presents a novel, low-cost, wet chemical fabrication technique to develop a self-powered photonic sensor. Thin films of zinc and copper were DC-sputtered on an ITO-coated glass slide, followed by an in-situ one-step oxidation of copper and zinc to form CuO (copper oxide) and ZnO (zinc oxide) heterojunctions at room temperature. The surface morphologies and chemical compositions characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the formation of heterojunctions between p-type CuO nanowires and n-type ZnO nanoparticles. The material's light absorbance was measured using ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The fabricated device works in a photovoltaic mode; as photons strike the substrate, the built-in potential separates excitons, resulting in an electrical current without an external bias. The current-voltage characteristics of the device studied using a 365 nm centered laser radiation revealed an ideal p-n junction behavior. The sensor demonstrated stable and reproducible responsivity and photosensitivity of 0.108 A/W and 114, respectively, under a periodic UV radiation condition. [Display omitted]
ISSN:2352-4928
2352-4928
DOI:10.1016/j.mtcomm.2024.109038