Journal of Engineering Science (Chişinău) (Sep 2018)

ENHANCEMENT IN UV SENSING PROPERTIES OF Zno:Ag NANOSTRUCTURED FILMS BY SURFACE FUNCTIONALIZATION WITH NOBLE METALIC AND BIMETALLIC NANOPARTICLES

  • Vasile Postica,
  • Alexander Vahl,
  • Nicolae Magariu,
  • Maik-Ivo Terasa,
  • Mathias Hoppe,
  • Bruno Viana,
  • Patrick Aschehoug,
  • Thierry Pauporté,
  • Ion Tiginyanu,
  • Oleksandr Polonskyi,
  • Victor Sontea,
  • Lee Chow,
  • Lorenz Kienle,
  • Rainer Adelung,
  • Franz Faupel,
  • Oleg Lupan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2557280
Journal volume & issue
Vol. XXV, no. 3
pp. 41 – 51

Abstract

Read online

In this study, Ag-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ag) nanostructured films were functionalized with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), silver-platinum bimetallic nanoparticles (AgPt NPs) and silver-gold bimetallic NPs (AgAu NPs) using a gas phase PVD process based on a Haberland type gas aggregation cluster source and unipolar DC planar magnetron sputtering. Ultraviolet (UV) sensing investigations showed arespectable time constants reduction for rising and decaying photocurrents, as well as an increase for the UV response. Compared to a pristine nanostructured film the surface functionalization with Ag, AgPt and AgAu increased the UV response by factors of 2.7, 3.5 and 4, respectively. The increased performances of the here presented ZnO:Ag nanostructured films functionalized with monometallic and bimetallic NPs based photodetectors are explained by the increased lifetime of photogenerated electron –hole pairs, as well as the formation of nanoscale Schottky barriers at the interface of Au/ZnO:Ag and Pt/ZnO:Ag.

Keywords