Nanoarchitechtonics of visible-blind ultraviolet photodetector materials: critical features and nano-microfabrication

Accurate measurement of ultraviolet radiation is key to many technologies including wearable devices for skin cancer prevention, optical communication systems, and missile launch detection. Nanostructuring of wide bandgap semiconductors, such as GaN, ZnO, and SiC, promises some benefits over established commercial solutions relying on n–p type Si-homojunction technology. In the past decade, a variety of carefully nanostructured architectures have been demonstrated as efficient designs for visible-blind UV photodetectors featuring superior detectivity, thermal stability, robust radiation hardness, and very low operation bias and power consumption. Here, a comprehensive review of the latest achievements on ultraviolet photodetector materials is presented, with focus on the multiscale engineering of composition and nano-microscale morphology. The review concludes with a critical assessment and comparison of state-of-the-art devices aiming to provide guidelines and research directions for the next generation of UV photodetector materials.