A visible-blind TiO ₂ nanowire photodetector

The authors report the growth of TiO ₂ nanowires by heating the Ti/glass template and the fabrication of a TiO ₂ nanowire photodetector (PD) by depositing interdigitated contact electrodes. It was also found that the fabricated TiO ₂ nanowire PD was visible-blind with a cutoff wavelength around 390 nm. Compared with conventional film-type TiO ₂ PDs, it was found that we could achieve a 10 times larger photocurrent from the TiO ₂ nanowire PD. It was also found that dynamic response of the TiO ₂ nanowire PD was stable and reproducible with an onoff current contrast ratio of around 100. Furthermore, it was found that UV-to-visible rejection ratio observed from the TiO ₂ nanowire PD was also larger, as compared to conventional film-type TiO ₂ PDs.