Enhanced Photoresponse of Inkjet-Printed ZnO Thin Films Capped with CdS Nanoparticles

Composite semiconductors provide routes for realizing high-performance electronic devices, but for many applications of such devices, low-cost manufacturing techniques are desirable. We have engineered a 3 orders of magnitude enhancement of the ultraviolet photoresponse of ZnO thin films, fabricated “in situ” by drop-on-demand inkjet printing, and then capped with CdS nanoparticles by dip coating. As a consequence, the decay time of the photoresponse is reduced to about 4 ms. Thus, capping with CdS not only suppresses the detrimental passivation layer of ZnO thin films, but also generates an interfacial carrier transport layer to reduce the probability of carrier recombination.