Fabrication and Performance of UV Photodetector of ZnO Nanorods Decorated with Al Nanoparticles

In this work, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) mediated by aluminum nanoparticles (Al NPs) was investigated to enhance the ultraviolet (UV) response of the zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) grown by the hydrothermal method. The ZnO NRs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer, Raman spectrometer, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer and fluorescence spectrometer. The results show that the morphology and crystalline structure of the ZnO NRs could not be changed before and after decoration with Al NPs, but the absorption rates in the UV range and the photoluminescence (PL) properties were improved. The photo-to-dark current ratio of ZnO NRs with Al NPs was about 447 for 325 nm UV light (5 mW/cm2) at 3.0 V bias, with the sensitivity increasing from 9.5 to 47.8, and the responsivity increasing from 53 to 267 mA/W.