Stretchable and Flexible Metal–Semiconductor–Metal UV Photodetector Based on Silver-Doped ZnO Nanostructures Using a Drop-Casting Method

Wearable photodetectors have emerged in recent years offering a wide range of applications such as environmental monitoring, health care, and security systems. Here, we present a method for producing a polymer-based ultraviolet photodetector (UV-PD) using enhanced networked 1D nanostructure semiconductors that are rubbery and intrinsically stretchable. We fabricated a metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) UV-PD from ZnO nanostructures embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The fabricated devices exhibited excellent mechanical durability, tolerating stretching of up to 100% without any structural deformation within the nanostructure network or even the electrodes. Current–voltage measurements, carried out after multiple bending cycles followed by stretching, showed no significant change, indicating electrical stability under harsh mechanical conditions. The electrical characteristics of the ZnO PD showed a remarkable enhancement after adding silver. We demonstrate that UV-PD with the employment of the ZnO/Ag (SZO) nanostructure increased the measured detectivity. The responsivities of ZnO and SZO nanorod-based PDs are approximately 15.73 (mA/W) and 17.30 (mA/W) at 5 V bias under 57 μW illumination, respectively. The reproducibility of the SZO PD is verified through transient response measurements under different illumination powers. This research not only indicates that Ag-doping can improve the ZnO nanostructures-based PDs but also proposes a promising method for fabricating cost-effective, highly stretchable/flexible MSM PDs with interdigitated electrodes on rubbery polymers, shedding light on future practical wearable photodetector devices.