Photocurrent Ambipolar Behavior in Phase Junction of a Ga2O3 Porous Nanostructure for Solar-Blind Light Control Logic Devices

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024 May 22;16(20):26512-26520. doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c01837. Epub 2024 May 11.

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices are the most similar artificial devices to the nervous system, which is expected to solve the problem of complex computer/nervous system interface (solid-liquid interface) and multifunctional integration (photoelectric fusion) required in the post-Moore era. Based on the different photocurrent ambipolar behavior and different deep ultraviolet solar-blind spectral photoresponse characteristics of α-Ga2O3 and β-Ga2O3, we designed and constructed the Ga2O3 porous nanostructure PEC device with an adjustable photocurrent bipolar behavior through constructing an α/β phase junction core-shell structure by adjusting the thickness and the surface state of the shell layer. The switching point of the α/β-Ga2O3 ambipolar photocurrent shifts toward negative values with the increase of β-Ga2O3 shell layer thicknesses, and adjustable Boolean logic gates are prepared using the voltage as the input source with a high accuracy manipulated by solar-blind deep ultraviolet light. The controllable solar-blind logic gates based on the ambipolar photocurrent behavior of α/β-Ga2O3 presented in this study offer a new path for the photoelectric device multifunctional integration needed in the post-Moore era, which can be used in the creation of Ga2O3 half adders and full adders, as well as in the construction of four-input OR gates.

Keywords: Ga2O3; logic device; phase junction; photocurrent ambipolar behavior; solar-blind.