Self-powered solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector based on α-Ga2O3 nanorod arrays fabricated by the water bath method

In this paper, α-Ga2O3 nanorod arrays (NRAs) with preferential growth along the (110) direction were successfully prepared on the FTO substrate by the water bath method. With the help of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and Raman spectrometer (Raman), the crystal structure and morphology characteristics of α-Ga2O3 NRAs were studied. On this basis, a photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector based on the α-Ga2O3 NRAs was fabricated, and the photoelectric performance of the device was analyzed in detail through the PEC test system, and the working mechanism of the device was further discussed. The results show that the prepared α-Ga2O3 NRAs have good crystal quality which is closely arranged on the substrate and a quadrangular prism shape from the top view. The constructed α-Ga2O3 NRAs PEC photodetector shows typical solar-blind ultraviolet response characteristics and stable self-powered ability. Meanwhile, the device exhibited a high photo-dark current ratio (PDCR), responsivity (R) and detectivity (D*) of 1.01×103, 11.34 mA/W and 2.68×1011 Jones, respectively, as well as superior wavelength selectivity and fast response. This work confirms that α-Ga2O3 NRAs prepared by the water bath method have potential application prospects in highly sensitive and fast response PEC self-powered solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors.