Enhanced ultraviolet photoresponse based on ZnO nanocrystals/Pt bilayer nanostructure

Abstract

The development of solution strategies for Zinc oxide (ZnO) quantum dots provides a pathway to utilizing ZnO nanocrystal thin films in optoelectronic devices. In this work, quasi-spherical ZnO quantum dots with a diameter of 5 nm are synthesized by using ethanol as a solvent. ZnO nanocrystal thin film is obtained by spin-coating ZnO quantum dots on a Au interdigital electrode (IDE)/Al2O3 substrate and annealing at different temperatures in order to yield the optimal photosensitive on/off ratio of ZnO. For further enhancing the responsivity, ion sputtering is utilized to deposit Pt nanoparticles on the surface of ZnO nanocrystal thin film, the responsivity of the ZnO/Pt bilayer nanostructure increases from 0.07 A/W to 54 A/W, showing that the metal/inorganic nanocrystal bilayer nanostructure can be used to improve the performance of optoelectronic devices. The excellent properties of ZnO/Pt bilayer nanostructure have important applications in future electronic and optoelectronic devices.