Study on Al2O3/ZnO Heterostructure Based UV Detection for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Ultraviolet detectors are vital in key technologies for a lot of biomedical applications. In this study, a device based on 3-D printed Al2O3/ZnO heterostructure shows UV sensing performance. Al2O3/ZnO heterostructures were obtained by firstly synthesizing ZnO by flame transport synthesis and 3-D printing, then adding top layers of Al2O3 using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method. In this study of Al2O3/ZnO heterostructure, the sensor performs dual function and acts like a 2 in 1 sensor as it elucidates UV sensing performance and its current variation has also been analyzed with respect to temperature i.e., temperature sensor. ZnO microparticles are 3-D printed on glass substrate to make sensor circuitry. This study exhibits Al2O3/ZnO heterostructure’s UV detection performance at four different wavelengths of 400 nm, 394 nm, 385 nm, and 370 nm in the UV-A region of UV spectrum. This study covers analysis of Al2O3/ZnO heterostructure at four different wavelengths of UV-A region at four different temperatures starting from 25 °C to 100 °C with the interval of 25 °C. This type of studied sensors with state-of-art technology can be used in wearable devices for continuous monitoring of penetrating UV radiations. The UV detection mechanism is explained in detail.