High-performance rigid and flexible ultraviolet photodetectors with single-crystalline ZnGa2O4 nanowires

ZnGa2O4 nanowires (NWs) as a ternary oxide semiconductor were successfully synthesized by a simple vapor transport method for application as high-performance ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors. A single-nanowire UV photodetector fabricated on a rigid silicon substrate exhibited excellent spectral responsivity (3,174 A/ W) and high external quantum efficiency (1.1 x 10(6)%) at 350 nm UV light illumination. A flexible single-nanowire photodetector on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate was also fabricated and showed similar properties. The as-fabricated flexible photodetector exhibited stable electrical properties and mechanical flexibility under different bending curvatures over many cycles, indicating its potential application in future flexible photoelectronic devices.