Solution-Processed Transparent CuO Thin Films for Solar-Blind Photodetection

Highly transparent (Transmittance >90%), solution-processed thin films of CuO with a direct bandgap of 3.87 eV were first time utilized for solar blind photo-detection. The CuO thin-film-based photodetector has shown very large DUV/Vis. rejection ratio of ~5430. The device has shown photo-responsivity value of 7.77 AW $^{-\textsf {1}}$ and photo-detectivity of $3.08\times 10^{\textsf {11}}$ cm $\cdot $ Hz $^{\textsf {1/2}}\cdot \text{W}^{-\textsf {1}}$ . Interestingly, the device has shown persistent photoconductivity with a retention time of several days. In order to use the device for optical memory, the reset mechanism has been successfully demonstrated by annealing the device at 50 °C. The developed solution processed, highly transparent, solar-blind photodetector has immense potential for next-generation cost-effective optoelectronic devices.