Boron-doped ZnO for infrared detection

Boron-doped ZnO thin film was fabricated on fused quartz substrate using the pulse laser deposition method. The infrared photovoltaic properties were studied using Nd:YAG 1.064μm pulse laser and 10.6μm carbon dioxide continuous laser. When the film was irradiated by the10.6μm laser, the photovoltage depends on the laser spot and undergoes a sign reversal as the laser spot travels from one electrode to another. The changeover in sign occurs at the middle of two electrodes. When the laser spot irradiated nearly on the electrode, the largest photovoltage of ~3 mV with a rise time of several seconds was observed. When the film was illuminated by the1.064μm pulse laser, the peak photovoltage reaches ~2.8 mV and the rise time and full width at half-maximum are ~1.5 ns and ~3 ns, respectively. The present results suggest that the Boron-doped ZnO thin film can be utilized in an infrared sensitive detector at room temperature.