Investigation of electron beam detection properties of ZnO nanowire based back-to-back double Schottky diode

Abstract

The effect of electron beam irradiation on electrical properties of Pt–ZnO NW–Pt double Schottky diodes has been investigated, which were fabricated by a direct-write electron beam lithography method. The reduction of the Schottky barrier height under electron beam irradiation resulted in a current enhancement and these devices show a fast response to the irradiation of 0.1 Hz under either a forward or a reverse bias. As the electron energy increases, the sensitivity reaches a maximum value at around 5 keV and decreases when the electron energy further rises, which is due to the electron–electron interactions as a result of increased electron density.