Enhanced UV photodetection in SnO2 microwire arrays (MWAs) thin films by γ-ray irradiation.

[Display omitted] • Varying doses of gamma ray irradiation have been imposed to SnO 2 microwire arrays (MWAs) thin films UV photodetectors. • Low doses (≤500krad) of gamma ray irradiation led to enhanced photocurrent and responsivity, whereas high doses resulted in significant degradation of the photoelectric response. • The fabricated SnO 2 MWAs UV photodetectors demonstrated resilience to gamma ray irradiation doses up to 500krad, which could be used for long-term space missions. • The fabricated SnO2 MWAs UV photodetectors exhibits promise for low doses gamma radiation detection. In this study, the gamma ray irradiation-induced photoelectric responses of SnO 2 microwire arrays (MWAs) UV photodetectors were investigated and compared with the unirradiated state. The corresponding surface morphology, crystal structure, and XPS spectrum were analyzed. Results indicated that low doses (≤500krad) of gamma ray irradiation led to enhanced photocurrent and responsivity, whereas high doses resulted in significant degradation of the photoelectric response. At a radiation dose of 300krad, a photocurrent of 264 μA and a responsivity of 1.83 A/W were realized under 365 nm UV light illumination at a bias voltage of 5 V. These values represent an increase of 34.6 % and 44.1 %, respectively, compared with the unirradiated sample. Surprisingly, the fabricated SnO 2 MWAs UV photodetectors demonstrated resilience to gamma ray irradiation doses up to 500krad, which is equivalent to the radiation dose accumulated by satellites in low-Earth orbit over 20 years. Our findings suggested that the fabricated SnO 2 microwire arrays (MWAs) UV detector has the potential to be used for long-term space missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]