Silicon-on-insulator based ZnO nanowire photodetector

The authors present here a technologically easy process to electrically contact ensembles of ZnO nanowires on silicon-on-insulator substrates for multiple sensor applications. Microtrenches defined by standard photolithography and etching processes were bridged by ZnO nanowires. The ZnO nanowires grown by a high temperature process show excellent crystalline quality as confirmed by photoluminescence. These wires connecting the opposite sides of the microtrenches were investigated here as solar-blind photosensitive detectors, but may equally well serve for any other sensing application, where the ZnO conductivity is altered by the attachment of specific gases, proteins, etc. The straightforward design allows for an easy integration into CMOS processes.