Study on piezo-phototronic effect of AlZnO thin film flexible ultraviolet photodetector

In this research, AlZnO (AZO) flexible ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) with piezo-phototronic effect were fabricated by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. AZO has the advantages of low-cost synthesis and relatively high light response in the UV region. By changing the thickness of the AZO film, the carrier density obtained in the AZO film is adjusted. In the AZO film with lower carrier density, piezoelectric polarization charges (piezo-charges) are easily exposed. Under the action of the piezo-phototronic effect, the photocurrent and responsivity of the two groups of AZO thin film PDs with growth times of 10 min and 20 min increased, and the maximum response increased by 286% and 143%, respectively. This broadens the application range of ZnO-based composite materials.