The Effect of Deposition of MoSe₂Nanosheets on the Performance of a ZnO-based UV Detector

ZnO is a promising candidate for ultraviolet (UV) detectors due to its wide bandgap, good transparency, non-toxicity, low cost, and simple preparation. However, the performance of ZnO is low because of its high recombination rate. One alternative solution is fabricating a heterostructure of ZnO with a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) compound. This study proposes the facile fabrication of ZnO nanorods decorated with MoSe2 nanosheets. MoSe2 nanosheets were synthesized using the liquid-phase exfoliation method and added to the surface of ZnO nanorods via spin coating. The photodetector performance was enhanced with the addition of MoSe2 nanosheets because the MoSe2 could trap the electrons of defect sites of ZnO; hence, it decreased the dark current and slightly increased the photocurrent. The responsivity increased from 1.03 to 1.25 A/W, the detectivity increased from 0.82 x 109 to 1.9 x 109 Jones, and the sensitivity increased from 1261% to 5701%.