Self-Powered Photodetector Based on a Ag Nanoparticle-Decorated Gd2O3 Nanorod

A self-powered photodetector based on a silver nanoparticle (Ag NP)-decorated gadolinium oxide nanorod (Gd2O3 NR) has been deposited using the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique. Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses confirm the successful growth of a Ag NP-decorated Gd2O3 NR with polycrystalline nature. UV–vis spectroscopy reveals the presence of the Ag NP and Gd2O3 NR with photon absorption in visible and UV regions. The electrical analysis was studied for the voltage range of −5 to 5 V. The device demonstrated self-powered characteristics with a significantly low dark current of 0.73 nA. In addition, the device also displayed a stable switching response with a rise/fall time of 0.18/0.17 s at 0 V. Moreover, the device obtained good responsivity (11.8 mA/W) with a high detectivity of 7.63 × 1011 Jones and a low noise equivalent power of 3.67 × 10–12 W at 0 V.