Fabrication and characterization of an individual ZnO microwire-based UV photodetector

In this paper, a single ZnO microwire-based photodetector for the monitoring of ultraviolet (UV) radiation is described. Single crystal ZnO microwires were synthesized using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on the Si or Al2O3 substrate. The UV photodetector was fabricated by using in-situ lift-out method in a focused ion beam system to manipulate individual zinc oxide microwire. The photodetector prototype consists of a single ZnO microwire (20 mm in length) and exhibits a response of w10 mA/W for UV light (365 nm) under 1 V bias. The transient response measurements revealed relatively fast response. The effect of oxygen adsorption and of different relative humidity conditions on the electronic transport through individual microwire is explored and discussed. 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.