Flexible position sensitive photodetectors based on a-Si:H hetero structures

This work describes the fabrication and characterization of an improved version of large area (5 mm x 80 mm with an active length of 70mm) flexible position sensitive detectors deposited onto polymeric substrates (polyimide-Kapton((R)) VN). The new configuration presented by the sensor is based on a heterostructure of a-Si:H/ZnO:Al. The sensors were characterized by spectral response, photocurrent dependence as a function of light intensity and position detection measurements. The set of data obtained on one-dimensional position sensitive detectors based on the heterostructure show excellent performances with a maximum spectral response of 0.12 A/W at 500 nm and a non-linearity of 10% over 70 mm length. The produced sensors present a non-linearity higher than those ones produced on glass substrates, due to the different thermal coefficients exhibited by the polymer and the amorphous silicon film. In order to prove this behaviour, it was measured the defect density obtained by the constant photocurrent method on amorphous silicon deposited on polymeric substrates bended with different radius of curvature. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.