Search

A novel lateral infrared photodetector was demonstrated using 3-D structures comprising of zinc-oxide nanowire (NW) cores and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film shell. The 3-D infrared photodetectors showed a low dark current of ~10−11–10−12 A and ~102–103 light-on/light-off ratio with both constant and pulsed 1.55- \mu \textm wavelength light. A vertically integrated infrared sensor/thin-film transistor (TFT) device incorporating the 3-D infrared photodetector on the back channel of an a-Si:H TFT was fabricated, creating an integrated optical detector and a switch. The detector dark current was found to scale with the NW geometry on the TFT back channel and may be used to optimize the performance of the hybrid sensor-switch device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]