FABRICATION OF p-NiO/n-ZnO:Ga HETEROSTRUCTURES FOR A RECTIFIER DIODE AND A UV PHOTODETECTOR VIA RF MAGNETRON SPUTTERING AND SPRAY PYROLYSIS SYNTHESIS

In this paper, a p–n thin film NiO/ZnO heterojunction for a rectifier diode and a UV photodetector is prepared and characterized. Nickel oxide (NiO) and gallium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Ga) thin films are grown by RF magnetron sputtering and spray pyrolysis techniques, respectively. The crystal structure of the thin films is studied by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The transmittance and reflectance are studied by UV–VIS spectroscopy. The p–n electrical parameters are estimated from current–voltage characteristics. The effects of duration of thermal annealing at 450 o C on the characteristics of the NiO/ZnO:Ga device are evaluated. The non-annealed diode shows the best rectification coefficient of 10 5 at ±1 V. The p–n photodetection capability is studied under UV illumination. At a reverse bias of –3 V under 365-nm UV illumination, the device shows a current intensity of ~6.2 × 10 12 A. The observed increase in the reverse current intensity by about two orders of magnitude under a UV lamp with a spectral irradiance of 10 W m 2 m 1 indicates a promising application in UV light detection.