Annealing effect on dielectric and leakage current characteristics of Mn-doped Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin films as gate insulators for low voltage ZnO thin film transistor

We report on the dielectric properties and leakage current characteristics of 3 mol% Mn-doped Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ (BST) thin films post-annealed up to 600 °C following room temperature deposition. The suitability of 3 mol% Mn-doped BST films as gate insulators for low voltage ZnO thin film transistors (TFTs) is investigated. The dielectric constant of 3 mol% Mn-doped BST films increased from 24 at in-situ deposition up to 260 at an annealing temperature of 600 °C due to increased crystallinity and the formation of perovskite phase. The measured leakage current density of 3 mol% Mn-doped BST films remained on the order of 5 × 10^− 9 to 10^− 8 A/cm² without further reduction as the annealing temperature increased, thereby demonstrating significant improvement in the leakage current characteristics of in-situ grown Mn-doped BST films as compared to that (5 × 10^− 4 A/cm² at 5 V) of pure BST films. All room temperature processed ZnO-TFTs using a 3 mol% Mn-doped BST gate insulator exhibited a field effect mobility of 1.0 cm²/Vs and low voltage device performance of less than 7 V.     

Enhanced dielectric properties of Mn doped Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition

Pure and 2 mol% Mn doped Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ (BST) thin films have been deposited on La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ (LSMO) coated single-crystal (001) oriented LaAlO₃ substrates using pulsed-laser deposition technique. The bilayer films of BST and LSMO were epitaxially grown in pure single-oriented perovskite phases for both samples, and an enhanced crystallization effect in the BST film was obtained by the addition of Mn, which were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and in situ reflective high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) analyses. The dielectric properties of the BST thin films were measured at 100 kHz and 300 K with a parallel-plate capacitor configuration. The results have revealed that an appropriate concentration acceptor doping is very effective to increase dielectric tunability, and to reduce loss tangent and leakage current of BST thin films. The figure-of-merit (FOM) factor value increases from 11 (undoped) to 40 (Mn doped) under an applied electric field of 200 kV/cm. The leakage current density of the BST thin films at a negative bias field of 200 kV/cm decreases from 2.5 × 10^− 4 A/cm² to 1.1 × 10^− 6 A/cm² by Mn doping. Furthermore, a scanning-tip microwave near-field microscope has been employed to study the local microwave dielectric properties of the BST thin films at 2.48 GHz. The Mn doped BST film is more homogeneous, demonstrating its more potential applications in tunable microwave devices.     

Electrical properties of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 on (Sr,Ca)RuO3 electrode

A perovskite (Sr,Ca)RuO₃ [SCR] electrode has been explored in order to utilize its advantages in structural match with (Ba,Sr)TiO₃ [BST] films, which may enhance the electrical properties of BST films. The SCR electrode led to the leakage current density (10^–7 A/cm²) of BST films an order lower than that on RuO₂. The leakage current was not sensitive to the composition of the SCR electrodes, while the dielectric constant of the BST thin film capacitor ranged from 160 to 280 depending on the Sr/Ca ratio in SCR electrodes. The BST/SCR (Sr/Ca = 7/3) system resulted in a 5–nm thick interfacial layer. Furthermore, the interfacial layer turned out to be partially crystallized according to the lattice image taken by an HRTEM. It is believed that such enhancement in electrical properties of BST films could be induced by the improvement of interfacial characteristics through structural matching.     

Defect-Engineered ZIF-Derived Non-Pt Cathode Catalyst at 1.5 mg cm−2 Loading for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Due to the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by non-Pt based catalyst, high loading of catalyst is required to achieve satisfactory fuel cell performance, which inevitably leads to the increase of the catalyst layer thickness with serious mass transport resistance. Herein, a defective zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) derived Co/Fe-N-C catalyst with small mesopores (2–4 nm) and high density of CoFe atomic active sites are prepared by regulating the Fe dosage and pyrolysis temperature. Molecular dynamics simulation and electrochemical tests indicate that > 2 nm mesopores show insignificant influence on the diffusion process of O₂ and H₂O molecules, leading to the high utilization of active sites and low mass transport resistance. The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) shows a high-power density of 755 mW cm⁻² with only 1.5 mg cm⁻² of non-Pt catalyst in the cathode. No apparent performance loss caused by concentration difference can be observed, in particular in the high current density region (1 A cm⁻²). This work emphasizes the importance of small mesopore design in the Co/Fe-N-C catalyst, which is anticipated to provide essential guidance for the application of non-Pt catalysts.     

Interfacial characteristics and dielectric properties of Ba0.65Sr0.35TiO3 thin films

Ba_0.65Sr_0.35TiO₃ (BST) thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiling data show that each element component of the BST film possesses a uniform distribution from the outermost surface to subsurface, but obvious Ti-rich is present to BST/Pt interface because Ti⁴⁺ cations are partially reduced to form amorphous oxides such as TiO_x (x < 2). Based on the measurement of XPS valence band spectrum, an energy band diagram in the vicinity of BST/Pt interface is proposed. Dielectric property measurements at 1 MHz reveal that dielectric constant and loss tangent are 323 and 0.0095 with no bias, while 260 and 0.0284 with direct current bias of 25 V; furthermore, tunability and figure of merit are calculated to be 19.51% and 20.54, respectively. The leakage current density through the BST film is about 8.96 × 10^− 7 A/cm² at 1.23 V and lower than 5.66 × 10^− 6 A/cm² at 2.05 V as well as breakdown strength is above 3.01 × 10⁵ V/cm.     

Microstructure and upconversion luminescence of Yb<Superscript>3+</Superscript> and Ho<Superscript>3+</Superscript> co-doped BST thick films

Ba_0.8Sr_0.2TiO₃ (BST) thick films co-doped with Yb³⁺ and Ho³⁺ were fabricated by the screen printing techniques on alumina substrates. The structure and morphology of the BST thick films were studied by XRD and SEM, respectively. After sintered at 1240 °C for 100 min the BST thick films are polycrystalline with a perovskite structure. The upconversion luminescence properties of the RE-doped BST thick films under 800 nm excitation at room temperature were investigated. The upconversion emission bands centered at 470 and 534 nm corresponding to ⁵F₁ → ⁵I₈ and ⁵F₄ → ⁵I₈ transition, respectively were observed, and the upconversion mechanisms were discussed. The dependence of the upconversion emission intensity upon the Ho³⁺ ions concentration was also examined; the emission intensity reaches a maximum value in the sample with 2 mol% Yb³⁺ and 0.250 mol% Ho³⁺ ions. All the results show that the BST thick films co-doped with Yb³⁺ and Ho³⁺ may have potential use for photoelectric devices.     

Tunable synthesis of mesoporous titania with different morphologies for dye-sensitized solar cells

Different TiO₂ mesoporous structures, including core-shell spheres (CCSs) and micro-tubes (MTs), are synthesized through adjusting the pH of the solution using TiOSO₄ as titanium source in a hydrothermal route. TiO₂ CSSs with an average diameter of 1.3–3.5 μm exhibit excellent light scattering property and high specific surface area (177.63 m² g^?1). TiO₂ MTs show ultrahigh specific surface area of 276.03 m² g^?1. Dye-sensitized solar cell is fabricated using TiO₂ CSSs as the light scattering layer and TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) layer as the bottom layer. The efficiency of Cell-NPs + CSSs is up to 9.24% due to the good light scattering effect and excellent dye loading capacity. Furthermore, TiO₂ MTs are introduced to form the NPs/MTs bottom layer. The Cell-NPs/MTs + CSSs achieves an outstanding efficiency of 9.60% due to the further optimized electron transport path.     

A tunable B-site doping SBT-BNT-SMN ceramic composite with high recoverable energy density and temperature stability

We synthesize a group of three-phase ferroelectric ceramics 0.35(Sr_0.7Bi_0.2) TiO₃–0.65(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO₃–xSr(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (BST–BNT–xSMN) using conventional solid-phase sintering method. When tunning the volume of SMN to 0.01, the ceramic sheet shows homogeneous microcrystal grains and highly dense crystal morphology, which favors a reductive dielectric permittivity (ε_r) of 2250 and loss of 0.05. Under a high electric field of 100 kV cm^?1, the BST–BNT-_0.01SMN sample achieves a slender polarization versus electrical field (P–E) loop with saturation and residual polarization of 37.1 µC cm^?2 and 3.0 µC cm^?2, respectively, corresponding to a high energy density of 1.32 J cm^?3 and a large η of 81%. Strikingly, the BST–BNT–xSMN ceramics show the excellent temperature stability below 100 °C, which facilitates energy storage in relaxed ferroelectric ceramics and provides an efficient method for obtaining pulsed power capacitors with excellent energy-recoverable characteristics and high efficiency in BNT-based ceramics.

Graphical abstract

The three-phase ferroelectric ceramics 0.35(Sr_0.7Bi_0.2)TiO_3- 0.65(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO_3-xSr(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (BST- BNT- xSMN) possesses a slender polarization versus electrical field loop with saturation and residual polarization of 37.1 µC cm^-2 and 3.0 µC cm^-2 respectively at 100 kV cm^-1, which corresponds to a high energy density of 1.32 J cm^-3 and a large η of 81%.

     

Compositionally graded ferroelectric multilayers for frequency agile tunable devices

Recently, there has been significant interest toward the development of tunable dielectric materials for voltage-controlled, frequency-agile phase shifters and filters operating in the microwave regime. The fundamental challenge in designing materials systems for such tunable devices is the simultaneous requirement of high dielectric tunability (>40%) over a large temperature interval (−10 °C to +90 °C) coupled with low dielectric losses (between 3.0 dB and 4.0 dB in operational bandwidths ranging from several hundred MHz up to 30 or more GHz). We show that a high- and temperature-insensitive tunability can be realized in compositionally graded ferroelectrics and provide a brief review of the results of experimental and theoretical studies on the dielectric properties of Barium Strontium Titanate (Ba_1−x Sr _x TiO₃ or BST) multilayer heterostructures. Theoretically, we discuss the role of thermal stresses on the dielectric properties using a non-linear thermodynamic model coupled with basic electrostatic considerations to describe the interlayer interactions between the ferroelectric layers. We show that the thermal strains arising from the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the multilayered film and the substrate may have a significant effect on the dielectric permittivity and tunability of BST multilayers. Experimentally, compositionally graded BST multilayers (5 mol% MgO doped and undoped) were grown via metallo-organic solution deposition (MOSD) on Pt–Si substrates and electrically characterized. Optimum conditions were found to exist in BST multilayers consisting of three distinct layers of ~220 nm nominal thickness with compositions corresponding to Ba_0.60Sr_0.40TiO₃ (BST 60/40), BST 75/25, and BST 90/10. At room temperature, the BST heterostructure has a small-signal dielectric permittivity of 360 with a dissipation factor of 0.012 and a dielectric tunability of 65% at 444 kV/cm. These properties exhibit minimal dispersion as a function of temperature ranging from 90 °C to −10 °C. Our results also show that MgO doping improves dielectric loss (tan δ = 0.008), but results in a moderate dielectric tunability of 29% at 444 kV/cm. Electrical measurements at microwave frequencies display a decrease in the dielectric permittivity and tunability for both undoped and MgO-doped BST multilayers. At 10 GHz, the dielectric response, tunability, and the loss characteristics for graded undoped BST are 261, 25% (at 1,778 kV/cm), and 0.078, respectively, and 189 and 15% (at 1,778 kV/cm), and 0.039, respectively, for the MgO-doped graded BST.     

Strategies for low-temperature sintering of BST ceramics with attractive dielectric properties

In this study, the powders of the Ba_0.75Sr_0.25TiO₃ (BST) nanoparticles were directly synthesized by milling of Ba(OH)₂·8H₂O, Sr(OH)₂·8H₂O, and Ti(BuO)₄ in ethanol at room temperature. They have homogenous grains of?~?15 nm and high sintering activity. The dense ceramics with the density?>?90% can be obtained at a sintering temperature of?≤?950 °C by adding 3 wt% sintering aids of Bi₂O₃ and Li₂CO₃. Several Bi-related intermediate compounds act as perovskite-structured templates to sintering the ceramics at a different temperature. They enhance the mass transfer and promote the sintering densification. These compounds such as Ba₂BiO₄ and SrBiO₄ appear at 800 °C, LiBa₄Bi₃O₁₁ and Sr_1.2Bi_0.8O₃ appear over 830 °C, and Bi_8.11Ba_0.89O_13.05 appears at 950 °C. The cation Bi in them can have mixture valences of 3+ and 5+. It makes the ceramics as semiconducting state with the dark gray color and decreases the ceramic resistivities. With the sintering temperature increase, especially at 950 °C, the cation Bi tends back to single valence of +3 in the ceramics. The most of alkaline earth cations in Bi-related compounds will release and resorb into the lattice of BST and drive the sintering densification. The BST ceramics can have a peak dielectric constant?>?6500 (at 53 °C) with loss?<?0.025 at 10 kHz, and resistivity?>?10¹² Ω cm when sintered at a temperature of?≥?900 °C with 3 wt% sintering aids. They have a potential application for multiple layer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) with silver inner electrodes.

     

Preparation and Characterization of Epitaxial-Grown Ba0.65Sr0.35TiO3 Thin Films by the Sol-Gel Process on Pt/MgO Substrates

Epitaxial-grown barium-strontium-titanate (BST, Ba_0.65Sr_0.35TiO₃) thin films have been successfully deposited on Pt/MgO (100) substrates using sol-gel techniques. Crack-free 350-nm-thick films were fabricated using a multilayer spinning technique and calcination at 650°C in oxygen for 1 hr. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed that (001) planes of BST films were mainly laid parallel to Pt (100) and MgO (100). The dielectric constant and dissipation factor for BST thin films at a frequency of 10 kHz were 480 and 0.02, respectively. The results of the temperature-dependence of the dielectric constant and dissipation factor showed that sol-gel–derived BST films had Curie temperatures of about 35°C and diffused ferroelectric phase transition characteristics. The leakage current density through the BST films was about 2.75 × 10^–7 A/cm² at an applied voltage of 3 V. The BST films exhibited a well-saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loop with remnant polarization P _r = 2.8 C/cm² and coercive field E _c = 52 kV/cm.     

Microstructure Design Strategy for Molecularly Dispersed Cobalt Phthalocyanine and Efficient Mass Transport in CO2 Electroreduction

Cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) has attracted particular interest owing to its excellent activity during the electrochemical CO₂ conversion to CO. However, the efficient utilization of CoPc at industrially relevant current densities is still a challenge owing to its nonconductive property, agglomeration, and unfavorable conductive substrate design. Here, a microstructure design strategy for dispersing CoPc molecules on a carbon substrate for efficient CO₂ transport during CO₂ electrolysis is proposed and demonstrated. The highly dispersed CoPc is loaded on a macroporous hollow nanocarbon sheet to act as the catalyst (CoPc/CS). The unique interconnected and macroporous structure of the carbon sheet forms a large specific surface area to anchor CoPc with high dispersion and simultaneously boosts the mass transport of reactants in the catalyst layer, significantly improving the electrochemical performance. By employing a zero-gap flow cell, the designed catalyst can mediate CO₂ to CO with a high full-cell energy efficiency of 57% at 200 mA cm⁻².     

Large area Ba1 − xSrxTiO3 thin films for microwave applications deposited by pulsed laser ablation

Large area Ba_1 − xSr_xTiO₃ (BST) thin films with x = 0.4 or x = 0.5 were deposited on 75 mm diameter Si wafers in a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) chamber enabling full-wafer device fabrication using standard lithography. The deposition conditions were re-optimized for large PLD chambers to obtain uniform film thickness, grain size, crystal structure, orientation, and dielectric properties of BST films. X-ray diffraction and microstructural analyses on the BST films grown on Pt/Au/Ti electrodes deposited on SiO₂/Si wafers revealed films with (110) preferred orientation with a grain size < 100 nm. An area map of the thickness and crystal orientation of a BST film deposited on SiO₂/Si wafer also showed (110) preferred orientation with a film thickness variation < 6%. Large area BST films were found to have a high dielectric tunability of 76% at an electric field of 400 kV/cm and dielectric loss tangent below 0.03 at microwave frequencies up to 20 GHz and a commutation quality factor of ~ 4200.     

Core/Shell ZnO/ZnS Nanoparticle Electron Transport Layers Enable Efficient All-Solution-Processed Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes

Solution-processed perovskite-based light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are promising candidates for low-cost, large-area displays, while severe deterioration of the perovskite light-emitting layer occurs during deposition of electron transport layers from solution in an issue. Herein, core/shell ZnO/ZnS nanoparticles as a solution-processed electron transport layer in PeLED based on quasi-2D PEA₂Cs_n−1Pb_nBr_3n+1 (PEA = phenylethylammonium) perovskite are employed. The deposition of ZnS shell mitigates trap states on ZnO core by anchoring sulfur to oxygen vacancies, and at the same time removes residual hydroxyl groups, which helps to suppress the interfacial trap-assisted non-radiative recombination and the deprotonation reaction between the perovskite layer and ZnO. The core/shell ZnO/ZnS nanoparticles show comparably high electron mobility to pristine ZnO nanoparticles, combined with the reduced energy barrier between the electron transport layer and the perovskite layer, improving the charge injection balance in PeLEDs. As a result, the optimized PeLEDs employing core/shell ZnO/ZnS nanoparticles as a solution-processed electron transport layer exhibit high peak luminance reaching 32 400 cd m⁻², external quantum efficiency of 10.3%, and 20-fold extended longevity as compared to the devices utilizing ZnO nanoparticles, which represents one of the highest overall performances for solution-processed PeLEDs.     

Optimized Solid Electrolyte Interphase and Solvation Structure of Potassium Ions in Carbonate Electrolytes for High-Performance Potassium Metal Batteries

The introduction of electrolyte additives is one of the most potential strategies to improve the performance of potassium metal batteries (PMBs). However, designing an additive that can alter the K⁺ solvation shell and essentially inhibit K dendrite remains a challenge. Herein, the amyl-triphenyl-phosphonium bromide was introduced as an additive to build a stable solid electrolyte interphase layer. The amyl-TPP cations can form a cation shielding layer on the metal surface during the nucleation stage, preventing K⁺ from gathering at the tip to form K dendrites. Besides, the cations can be preferentially reduced to form K_xP_y with fast K⁺ transport kinetics. The Br⁻ anions, as Lewis bases with strong electronegativity, can not only coordinate the Lewis acid pentafluoride to inhibit the formation of HF, but also change the K⁺ solvation structure to reduce solvent molecules in the first solvation structure. Therefore, the symmetrical battery exhibits a low deposition overpotential of 123 mV at 0.1 mA cm⁻² over 4200 h cycle life. The full battery, paried with a perylene-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) cathode, possesses a cycle life of 250 cycles at 2 C and 81.9% capacity retention. This work offers a reasonable electrolyte design to obtain PMBs with long-term stablity and safety.     

Role of Ti out-diffusion from a Pt/Ti bi-layer on the crystalline growth of (Ba,Sr)TiO3: A transmission electron microscopy investigation

We investigated the influence of the Ti out-diffusion in Pt/TiO_x/SiO₂/Si substrates (0 ≤ x ≤ 2), having different thicknesses of Pt and TiO_x layers, on the crystalline growth of (Ba,Sr)TiO₃ (BST) deposited by pulsed laser deposition. By means of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, we show that the orientation of BST clearly depends on the presence and quantity of Ti having migrated up to the Pt surface, and on its possible oxidation prior to BST deposition, which was controlled by the atmosphere (vacuum or oxygen) of the pre-heating stage of the BST deposition process. Whereas BST has no preferential orientation if grown on a bare Pt surface, a strong (111) orientation of BST is obtained for a limited diffusion of titanium oxides on the Pt surface just before BST deposition. However, the (111) orientation is lost if this seeding titanium oxide layer on Pt is too thick just before BST deposition. Also, the formation of protrusions was evidenced at the BST/Pt interface and associated with the oxidation of Ti within the Pt layer.     

Multistage SrBaTiO3/PDMS Composite Film-Based Hybrid Nanogenerator for Efficient Floor Energy Harvesting Applications

Triboelectric nanogenerators are an emerging energy-scavenging technology that can harvest kinetic energy from various mechanical moments into electricity. The energy generated while humans walk is the most commonly available biomechanical energy. Herein, a multistage consecutively-connected hybrid nanogenerator (HNG) is fabricated and combined with a flooring system (MCHCFS) to efficiently harvest mechanical energy while humans walk. Initially, the electrical output performance of the HNG is optimized by fabricating a prototype device using various strontium-doped barium titanate (Ba_1-xSr_xTiO₃, BST) microparticles loaded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite films. The BST/PDMS composite film acts as a negative triboelectric layer that operates against aluminum. Single HNG operated in contact-separation mode could generate an electrical output of ≈280 V, ≈8.5 µA, and ≈90 µC m⁻². The stability and robustness of the fabricated HNG are confirmed and eight similar HNGs are assembled in a 3D-printed MCHCFS. The MCHCFS is specifically designed to distribute applied force on the single HNG to four nearby HNGs. The MCHCFS can be implemented in real-life floors with an enlarged surface area to harvest energy generated while humans walk into direct current electrical output. The MCHCFS is demonstrated as a touch sensor that can be utilized in sustainable path lighting to save enormous electricity waste.     

Achieving Stable Lithium Metal Anode at 50 mA cm−2 Current Density by LiCl Enriched SEI

Lithium metal batteries are intensively studied due to the potential to bring up breakthroughs in high energy density devices. However, the inevitable growth of dendrites will cause the rapid failure of battery especially under high current density. Herein, the utilization of tetrachloroethylene (C₂Cl₄) is reported as the electrolyte additive to induce the formation of the LiCl-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Because of the lower Li ion diffusion barrier of LiCl, such SEI layer can supply sufficient pathway for rapid Li ion transport, alleviate the concentration polarization at the interface and inhibit the growth of Li dendrites. Meanwhile, the C₂Cl₄ can be continuously replenished during the cycle to ensure the stability of the SEI layer. With the aid of C₂Cl₄-based electrolyte, the Li metal electrodes can maintain stable for >300 h under high current density of 50 mA cm⁻² with areal capacity of 5 mAh cm⁻², broadening the compatibility of lithium metal anode toward practical application scenarios.     

Microstructure, optical and dielectric properties of compositional graded (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin films derived by RF magnetron sputtering

Thin films of compositional graded Ba_1−x Sr _x TiO₃ (BST) (x decreasing from 0.3 to 0) were prepared on fused quartz and Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The microstructure of the graded BST thin films was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). It indicates that the films were crystallized with peroveskite structure and (100) + (111) preferred orientation. The refractive index and the band gap were determined at room temperature in the wavelength 200–1100 nm from spectrophotometric measurements of the transmittance. The average value of the refractive index is found to be 2.17 for the graded BST films in the wavelength 400–1000 nm. The optical band gap of the graded BST film was 3.77 eV. The dielectric measurement showed that the dielectric constant and loss factor of the graded BST film was 318.04 and 0.028 at 100 KHz and room temperature.     

Ultrahigh Detectivity Broad Spectrum UV Photodetector with Rapid Response Speed Based on p-β Ga2O3/n-GaN Heterojunction Fabricated by a Reversed Substitution Doping Method

An excellent broad-spectrum (220–380 nm) UV photodetector, covering the UVA-UVC wavelength range, with an ultrahigh detectivity of ≈10¹⁵ cm Hz^1/2 W⁻¹, is reported. It is based on a p-β Ga₂O₃/n-GaN heterojunction, in which p-β Ga₂O₃ is synthesized by thermal oxidation of GaN and a heterostructure is constructed with the bottom n-GaN. XRD shows the oxide layer is (−201) preferred oriented β-phase Ga₂O₃ films. SIMS and XPS indicate that the residual N atoms as dopants remain in β Ga₂O₃. XPS also demonstrates that the Fermi level is 0.2 eV lower than the central level of the band gap, indicating that the dominant carriers are holes and the β Ga₂O₃ is p-type conductive. Under a bias of −5 V, the photoresponsivity is 56 and 22 A W⁻¹ for 255 and 360 nm, respectively. Correspondingly, the detectivities reach an ultrahigh value of 2.7 × 10¹⁵ cm Hz^1/2 W⁻¹ (255 nm) and 1.1 × 10¹⁵ cm Hz^1/2 W⁻¹ (360 nm). The high performance of this UV photodetector is attributed mainly to the continuous conduction band of the p-β Ga₂O₃/n-GaN heterojunction without a potential energy barrier, which is more helpful for photogenerated electron transport from the space charge region to the n-type GaN layer.