UV photodetectors based on 3D periodic Au-decorated nanocone ZnO films

Thermal nanoimprinting technology was employed to fabricate 3D periodic nanocone ZnO films with different height/pitch values for photodetectors to optimize their light capturing property. The photocurrents of patterned film photodetectors increase with the height/pitch values. The patterned ZnO–Au hybrid film further boosts the ultraviolet (UV) response. Due to the co-contribution of the light trapping of 3D periodic structures and the driving force of the Schottky barrier in the Au/ZnO interface, the patterned ZnO–Au hybrid films with height/pitch of 40 nm/866 nm exhibit the best UV photoresponse ( I _on/ I _off = 779.927), which is 3.8 times higher than its film counterpart ( I _on/ I _off = 164.1). (paper)