Enhanced UV photoresponse in nitrogen plasma ZnO nanotubes

The photoresponse behavior of one-dimensional ZnO nanowires (NWs) and nanotubes (NTs) grown on ITO-coated glass substrates via a wet-chemical route was investigated. The photoluminescence spectra exhibited a decrease in the deep-level intensity, indicating that the oxygen defects and impurities are occupied by the presence of N ions in the ZnO NT matrix after a nitrogen plasma treatment. I-V tests demonstrate an enhanced dark current (4.83 x 10-7 A) after an extended plasma treatment of up to 900 s for ZnO NTs compared to that (0.571 x 10-7 A) of NWs. Furthermore, the ZnO NTs show the highest reliable photoresponse, 20 times that of NWs under UV irradiation (325 nm) in air at room temperature. It is believed that nitrogen plasma ZnO nanotubes can potentially be useful in the designs of 1D ZnO-based solar cells and optoelectronic devices.