Self-powered Pt/a-Ga2O3/ITO vertical Schottky junction solar-blind photodetector with excellent detection performance

Self-powered solar-blind photodetectors (PDs) are promising for military and civilian applications owing to convenient operation, easy preparation, and weak-light sensitivity. In the present study, the solar-blind deep-ultraviolet (DUV) photodetector based on amorphous Ga₂O₃ (a-Ga₂O₃) and with a simple vertical stack structure is proposed by applying the low-cost magnetron sputtering technology. By tuning the thickness of the amorphous Ga₂O₃ layer, the device exhibits excellent detection performance. Under 3 V reverse bias, the photodetector achieves a high responsivity of 671A/W, a high detectivity of 2.21 × 10¹⁵ Jones, and a fast response time of 27/11 ms. More extraordinary, with the help of the built-in electric field at the interface, the device achieves an excellent performance in detection when self-powered, with an ultrahigh responsivity of 3.69 A/W and a fast response time of 2.6/6.6 ms under 254 nm light illumination. These results demonstrate its superior performance to most of the self-powered Schottky junction UV photodetectors reported to date. Finally, the Pt/a-Ga₂O₃/ITO Schottky junction photodiode detector is verified as a good performer in imaging, indicating its applicability in such fields as artificial intelligence, machine vision, and solar-blind imaging.