GaN and AlGaN/AlN Nanowire Ensembles for Ultraviolet Photodetectors: Effects of Planarization with Hydrogen Silsesquioxane and Nanowire Architecture

The interest in nanowire photodetectors stems from their unique properties, such as high sensitivity, fast response times, and compatibility with integrated circuit technology, making them well suited for diverse application domains, including solar cells, cameras, biomedical sensors, and communication systems. Implementing devices based on nanowire ensembles requires a planarization process, which must be conceived to preserve the advantages of the nanowire geometry. This is particularly challenging in the ultraviolet (UV) range, where spin coating with hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) appears as an interesting approach in terms of transmittance and refractive index. Here, we report a comprehensive study on UV photodetectors based on GaN or AlGaN/AlN nanowire ensembles encapsulated in HSQ. We show that this material is efficient for passivating the nanowire surface, and it introduces a compressive strain in the nanowires and preserves their radiative efficiency. We discuss the final performance of planarized UV photodetectors based on three kinds of nanowire ensembles: (i) non-intentionally doped (nid) GaN nanowires, (ii) Ge-doped GaN nanowires, and (iii) nid GaN nanowires terminated with an AlGaN/AlN superlattice. The incorporation of the superlattice allows tuning the spectral response with bias, which can enhance the carrier collection from the AlGaN/AlN superlattice or from the GaN stem. In all the cases, the performance of the planarized devices remains determined by the nanowire nature since their characteristics in terms of linearity and spectral selectivity are closer to those demonstrated in single nanowires than those of planar devices. Thus, the visible rejection is several orders of magnitude, and there is no indication of persistent photocurrent, which makes all the samples suitable for UV-selective photodetection applications.