Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• Single-crystalline diamond nanowires embedded with platinum nanoparticles were fabricated for high-temperature solar-blind photodetection. • At room temperature, the photodetector's responsivity represents a 2000-fold enhancement compared to bulk diamond. At 275 °C, the device demonstrates a responsivity of 3098.7 A W−1, while maintaining excellent spectral selectivity. • Multiple factors synergistically enhance performance, including one-dimensional carrier transport channels, deep-level defects, localized surface plasmon resonance effect, and localized Schottky junctions. • The Pt nanoparticle-embedded diamond nanowires show significant potential for advanced deep ultraviolet detection in harsh environments such as aerospace and industrial monitoring.
Abstract
Diamond, an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor material, is promising for solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors in extreme environments. However, when exposed to high-temperature conditions, diamond photodetector surfaces are unavoidably terminated with oxygen, leading to low photoresponsivity. To address this limitation, single-crystalline diamond nanowires (DNWs) embedded with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were developed using Pt film deposition followed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) homoepitaxial growth. During the CVD, Pt nanoparticles (approximately 20 nm in diameter) undergo dewetting and become uniformly embedded within the single-crystalline DNWs. Photodetectors fabricated with these Pt nanoparticles-embedded DNWs achieve a responsivity of 68.5 A W−1 under 220 nm illumination at room temperature, representing an improvement of approximately 2000 times compared to oxygen-terminated bulk diamond devices. Notably, the responsivity further increases with temperature, reaching an exceptional value of 3098.7 A W−1 at 275 °C. This outstanding performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of the one-dimensional nanowire structure, deep-level defects, the localized surface plasmon resonance effects induced by embedded Pt nanoparticles, and localized Schottky junctions at the Pt/diamond interface, which enhance optical absorption, carrier generation, and separation efficiency. These results highlight the significant potential of Pt nanoparticles-embedded DNWs for advanced deep ultraviolet detection in harsh environments, including aerospace, industrial monitoring, and other applications.
1. Introduction
Ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors operating in the solar-blind region (below 280 nm) have attracted significant attention due to their unique ability to detect UV radiation without interference from sunlight [1]. This capability makes them indispensable for various critical applications, such as missile tracking, early warning systems, flame detection, ozone layer monitoring, biological research, and optical communications [2]. An ideal solar-blind UV photodetector should exhibit high spectral sensitivity and strong resistance to harsh working environments, particularly high temperatures [3, 4]. However, commercial photodetectors based on silicon (Si) semiconductor materials are limited to operating temperatures below 125 °C [5], which restricts their application in these demanding scenarios.
Among ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor materials, diamond stands out due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, including an intrinsic optical absorption wavelength at 225 nm (Eg = 5.47 eV), high electrical breakdown field, excellent thermal conductivity, and the highest displacement energy (about 35 eV) among known materials [6, 7], making it a promising candidate for solar-blind UV photodetectors capable of stable operation at high temperatures in harsh environments. However, the difficulty of n-type doping has limited the development of diamond-based p–n junction UV photodetectors. As a result, planar metal–semiconductor-metal (MSM) structures are commonly used in fabricating diamond photodetectors. Numerous studies have reported that the surface termination of diamonds plays a crucial role in determining the performance of these devices [8–10]. Hydrogen and oxygen are the two most common types of surface terminations for diamonds. For hydrogen-terminated diamonds, a two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) is formed at the near-surface layer owing to the transferred doping mechanism with adsorbed water molecules in the ambient, leading to shallow-level traps and high photocurrent gain [11–13]. However, this type of detector often exhibits a high dark current.
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Jiaqi Lu, Xinglai Zhang, Shun Feng, Bing Yang, Ming Huang, Yubin Guo, Lingyue Weng, Nan Huang, Lusheng Liu, Xin Jiang, Dongming Sun, Huiming Cheng (2025). Single-Crystal Diamond Nanowires Embedded with Platinum Nanoparticles for High-Temperature Solar-Blind Photodetector. Nano-Micro Letters. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01746-9
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main achievement of this research?
The research developed single-crystal diamond nanowires embedded with platinum nanoparticles, achieving a photodetector with a responsivity of 68.5 A/W at room temperature and 3098.7 A/W at 275°C, a 2000-fold improvement over bulk diamond.
How were the platinum nanoparticles embedded in the diamond nanowires?
Platinum nanoparticles were embedded by depositing a Pt film on diamond, followed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) homoepitaxial growth, during which the Pt film dewetted into nanoparticles (~20 nm) that became uniformly embedded within the nanowires.
Why is high-temperature operation important for solar-blind photodetectors?
High-temperature operation is crucial for applications in harsh environments like aerospace and industrial monitoring, where conventional silicon-based detectors fail above 125°C. Diamond's wide bandgap and thermal stability make it suitable for such conditions.
What mechanisms contribute to the enhanced photoresponse?
The enhanced photoresponse is attributed to synergistic effects: one-dimensional carrier transport channels, deep-level defects, localized surface plasmon resonance from Pt nanoparticles, and localized Schottky junctions at the Pt/diamond interface, which improve optical absorption, carrier generation, and separation.
What are the potential applications of this technology?
The technology is promising for advanced deep ultraviolet detection in harsh environments, including aerospace, industrial monitoring, flame detection, and other applications requiring high-temperature and solar-blind operation.
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