Enhanced optoelectronic performance of 3C–SiC/ZnO heterostructure photodetector based on Piezo-phototronic effect

Piezo-phototronic effect is widely utilized to improve the performance of optoelectronic devices through the coupling of semiconducting, optical, and piezoelectric properties in the ability to adjust charge carrier transport, separation and recombination process in piezoelectric semiconductors. In this paper, we demonstrate the photoresponse enhancement of a 3C–SiC/ZnO heterostructure photodetector based on piezo-phototronic effect. By introducing the strain-induced piezo-potential in ZnO nanorods array radially grown on an individual 3C–SiC nanowire core, photodetector performance is significantly enhanced due to the carrier-dynamics modulation at the local interface. The high photoresponsivity of 1.01 × 106 A/W and fast photoresponse time of 24.1 ms are obtained by applying an external compressive strain of −0.381%, corresponding to the enhancement of 117% in responsivity and shortening to 75.9% in photoresponse time, respectively, showing its outstanding ultraviolet (UV) light detection ability. The possible mechanism of strain-induced piezo-phototronic effect involved in 3C–SiC/ZnO heterostructure photodetector is proposed and discussed. These results present a new avenue for better utilizing piezo-potential in coupling with light, and are valuable for designing and fabricating strain modulated heterostructure optoelectronic devices.