Synthesis and characterization of Sb doped ZnO thin films for photodetector application

• Effect of Sb doping on the structural and morphological properties of ZnO thin films.
• Effect of Sb doping on the electrical and optical properties of ZnO thin films.
• UV detectors based on a metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) structure.

We report properties of metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) photoconductive UV detectors based on Sb-doped ZnO thin films. Highly c-axis oriented Sb-doped ZnO thin films were prepared by spray pyrolysis technique onto glass substrates. Optical properties and photocurrent measurements were carried out to study optoelectronic properties of Sb-doped ZnO thin films. These films are highly transparent in visible region and exhibit a steep absorption edge at 365 nm. The electrical resistivity measurement showed semiconducting behaviors of Sb-doped ZnO thin films. All Sb-doped ZnO thin films exhibit n-type electrical conductivity. I–V characteristics of photodetector devices were analyzed by applying 5 V bias. The 3% Sb doped ZnO photodetector shows higher responsivity of 5.1 A/W at 365 nm under 10 μW/cm2 photo-illumination. In order to check the maximal (for the rise) or minimal (for the fall) level of photocurrent, the results on photodetector for 30 s ON and OFF cycles of illumination have been reported.