In this study, to improve the properties of ZnO-based metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) UV detectors, the surface of ZnO thin films prepared by the sol–gel method is initially doped with Zr sputtering at different time intervals. The amount of Zr at the surface and its effect on the crystalline structure and the surface morphology are, respectively, evaluated through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Then, by creating electrodes on the surface, these layers are converted to MSM UV detectors and subjected to various sensor tests to assess their performance. The results of these tests show that the sensors, which are sputtered with Zr for 50 s under the experimental conditions in question, experience an increase in the photoresponsivity by about one order of magnitude while their rise time and recovery time decrease about 30%. Furthermore, the best repeatability of I–t curves and baseline stability in consecutive cycles are also related to these sensors. The experience also indicates that the use of sputtering method can be seriously considered to modify the surface of nanostructures used in the construction of sensors. This makes perfect sense because the surface plays a major role in the detection mechanisms in most light and gas sensors. It is noteworthy that this method can be used even to modify the properties of pre-made detectors.

在这项研究中，为了改善基于ZnO的金属-半导体-金属（MSM）紫外线检测器的性能，通过溶胶-凝胶法制备的ZnO薄膜的表面最初在不同的时间间隔掺杂了Zr溅射。通过能量色散X射线光谱（EDX），X射线衍射（XRD）分析和原子力显微镜（AFM）分别评估表面Zr的含量及其对晶体结构和表面形态的影响）。然后，通过在表面上创建电极，将这些层转换为MSM UV检测器，并进行各种传感器测试以评估其性能。这些测试的结果表明，在上述实验条件下，用Zr溅射50 s的传感器，经历光响应性增加约一个数量级，而它们的上升时间和恢复时间减少约30％。此外，最佳的重复性I – t曲线和连续周期中的基线稳定性也与这些传感器有关。经验还表明，可以认真考虑使用溅射方法来修改用于传感器构造的纳米结构的表面。这是非常合理的，因为在大多数光传感器和气体传感器中，表面在检测机制中起着主要作用。值得注意的是，该方法甚至可以用于修改预制探测器的属性。