Self-catalyst β-Ga2O3 semiconductor lateral nanowire networks synthesis on the insulating substrate for deep ultraviolet photodetectors

Abstract

Monoclinic gallium oxide (β-Ga₂O₃) is a super-wide bandgap semiconductor with excellent chemical and thermal stability, which is an ideal candidate for detecting deep ultraviolet (DUV) radiation (100–280 nm). The growth of β-Ga₂O₃ is challenging and most methods require Au as the catalyst and a long reacting time (more than 1 hour). In this work, the self-catalyst β-Ga₂O₃ lateral nanowire networks were synthesized on an insulating substrate rapidly by a simple low-cost Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method. A thin film of β-Ga₂O₃ nanowire networks was synthesized within a reacting time of 15 minutes, which possesses a huge possibility for the rapid growth of β-Ga₂O₃ metal oxide nanowires networks and application in the future solar-blind photodetector. MSM (metal–semiconductor–metal) photodetectors based on the β-Ga₂O₃ nanowire networks revealed fast response (on–off ratios is about 10³), which is attributed to the unique cross-junction barrier-dominated conductance of the nanowire networks. In addition, the self-catalyst β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires grown on insulating SiO₂ are achieved and could be expected to find important applications in a bottom-up way of fabricating the next generation semiconductor nanoelectronics.