Solar-blind UV Research Articles

AlGaN-Based Self-Powered Solar-Blind UV Focal Plane Array Imaging Photosensors: Material Growth, Device Preparation, and Functional Verification

This paper reports the development of hybrid AlGaN-based self-powered solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) focal plane array imaging photosensors from material growth and array preparation to functional verification. The detailed process starts with the epitaxial growth by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). A high-quality AlN template is obtained on the 2-inch double-polished c-plane sapphire substrate by introducing a mesothermal AlN (MT-AlN) interlayer and adjusting the growth rate of the high-temperature AlN epilayer (HT-AlN). Then, a polarization-enhanced p-i-n structure photodetector material is grown on the AlN template. Subsequently, based on the p-i-n structural material, a 320×256 back-illuminated solar-blind photodiode array is fabricated and hybridized to a matching Si-based CMOS readout integrated circuit (ROIC) chip to form a focal plane detector. Solar-blind UV detection is observed throughout the array in the 262-281 nm spectral region with a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 65.3% at zero-bias voltage (no antireflection coating) and a nanosecond transient response time at a reverse bias of 5 V. The visible response of the ROIC is eliminated by developing a masking technology that is opaque to visible light, which enables the focal plane detector to achieve a high UV/visible rejection ratio more than 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sup> .

Al doping and defect regulation of sputtered CdZnTe films based on Al–AlN transition layers

CdZnTe films with less defects and high quality were fabricated on aluminum-rich AlN (Al–AlN) transition layers by RF magnetron sputtering technique. The Al doping and regulation effect on defect states, structure and photoelectrical performance of CdZnTe films were minutely investigated by XRD, HRTEM, SEM, XPS, Photoluminescence and Photoelectric characteristics. Results strongly suggested the self-doping process of Al from Al–AlN transition layers, which helped to compensate the defect density of Cd vacancy in CdZnTe films, thus improving crystallization, response performances and resistivity of Al-doped CdZnTe films. Electrical characterization implied the formation of good ohmic contact between electrodes and Al-doped CdZnTe films. Under 254 nm UV light illumination, the surface dark current of optimal Al-doped CdZnTe film was 25 times smaller than that of non-doped film, and rise and decay times were 3.4 and 2.8 times faster, indicating the feasibility of high quality film detectors for solar-blind UV detection.

Enhancing the performance of ZnGa2O4 metal-semiconductor-metal ultraviolet solar-blind photodetectors by surface fluorine plasma sensitization

ZnGa2O4 has a wide direct bandgap and excellent optical properties and is an emerging material for use in solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs). Recently, metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) based devices have gained popularity because of their low production cost, minimal design, flexible integration, and tunable performance. However, such devices suffer from low sensitivity. Herein, we propose a sensitization engineering strategy that involves surface fluorine plasma (SFP) treatment to enhance the performance of a ZnGa2O4 MSM solar-blind UV PD. Through this strategy oxygen vacancy defects are simultaneously passivated and the ratio of adsorbed oxygen species on the surface of the ZnGa2O4 thin film is changed. These modifications optimize the current under both dark and light conditions. In particular, the dark current has a trade-off relationship between the reduction in the oxygen vacancy concentration and changes in the crystal grain boundaries. As a result, the photocurrent is enhanced because of the increased amount of adsorbed oxygen. The PD prepared using a ZnGa2O4 thin film treated by SFP for 15 min exhibited excellent performance, specifically, it showed a large responsivity (42.22 A/W) and good specific detectivity (5.72 × 1014 Jones). Notably, these values are superior to those of most reported MSM solar-blind PDs. Moreover, the excellent rejection ratio and durability during repeated use demonstrate the benefits of SFP treatment for enhancing operating stability. Our study provides an effective avenue for optimizing the optoelectronic performance of oxide semiconductors.

Solar-Blind Ultraviolet Detectors Based on High-Quality HVPE α-Ga2O3 Films With Giant Responsivity

Solar-Blind Ultraviolet Detectors Based on High-Quality HVPE α-Ga₂O₃ Films With Giant Responsivity

Metal-semiconductor-metal solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector based on Al0.55Ga0.45N/Al0.4Ga0.6N/Al0.65Ga0.35N heterostructures.

We have designed a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) by utilizing Al0.55Ga0.45N/Al0.4Ga0.6N/Al0.65Ga0.35N heterostructures. The interdigital Ni/Au metal stack is deposited on the Al0.55Ga0.45N layer to form Schottky contacts. The AlGaN hetero-epilayers with varying Al content contribute to the formation of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) conduction channel and the enhancement of the built-in electric field in the Al0.4Ga0.6N absorption layer. This strong electric field facilitates the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Consequently, the fabricated PD exhibits an ultra-low dark current of 1.6 × 10-11 A and a broad spectral response ranging from 220 to 280 nm, with a peak responsivity of 14.08 A/W at -20 V. Besides, the PD demonstrates an ultrahigh detectivity of 2.28 × 1013 Jones at -5 V. Furthermore, to investigate the underlying physical mechanism of the designed solar-blind UV PD, we have conducted comprehensive two-dimensional device simulations.

Semiconductor applications of Yb2O3: Constructing heterojunction solar-blind UV photodetectors with graphene

Exploring the semiconductor materials with suitable gap and chemical stability is the key to developing solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors with high stability, responsivity, and detectivity. However, available materials are limited currently, hindering the development of solar-blind detectors greatly. Rare earth oxides (Yb2O3) have the bandgap and high-dielectric constants suitable for solar-blind detection, but its potential of being applied to broadband gap semiconductors has not been deeply studied. Therefore, to activate the semiconductor characteristics of Yb2O3, this work builds a p-Gr/i-Yb2O3/n-Si heterojunction solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector by introducing single-layer graphene. Through tests, this device has an absorption cutoff wavelength of 271 nm, which can almost cover the entire solar-blind ultraviolet band, and a high responsivity of 9.78 mA/W under 0 V bias with the rise and fall time as short as 87 and 73 ms, respectively. This work not only prepares a high-performance solar-blind UV photodetector but also presents the potential application of Yb2O3 in the solar-blind ultraviolet light detection. The high-dielectric performance of rare earth oxides makes it expected to be used for the photoelectric chip unit in future integrated circuit.

Comprehensive Study on Ultra-Wide Band Gap La2O3/ε-Ga2O3 p-n Heterojunction Self-Powered Deep-UV Photodiodes for Flame Sensing.

Solar-blind UV photodetectors have outstanding reliability and sensitivity in flame detection without interference from other signals and response quickly. Herein, we fabricated a solar-blind UV photodetector based on a La2O3/ε-Ga2O3 p-n heterojunction with a typical type-II band alignment. Benefiting from the photovoltaic effect formed by the space charge region across the junction interface, the photodetector exhibited a self-powered photocurrent of 1.4 nA at zero bias. Besides, this photodetector demonstrated excellent photo-to-dark current ratio of 2.68 × 104 under 254 nm UV light illumination and at a bias of 5 V, and a high specific detectivity of 2.31 × 1011 Jones and large responsivity of 1.67 mA/W were achieved. Importantly, the La2O3/ε-Ga2O3 heterojunction photodetector can rapidly respond to flames in milliseconds without any applied biases. Based on the performances described above, this novel La2O3/ε-Ga2O3 heterojunction is expected to be a candidate for future energy-efficient fire detection.

Controllable Synthesis of 2H-1T' Mox Re(1- x ) S2 Lateral Heterostructures and Their Tunable Optoelectronic Properties.

Constructing heterostructures and doping are valid ways to improve the optoelectronic properties of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and optimize the performance of TMDs-based photodetectors. Compared with transfer techniques, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has higher efficiency in preparing heterostructures. As for the one-step CVD growth of heterostructures, cross-contamination between the two materials may occur during the growth process, which may provide the possibility of one-step simultaneous realization of controllable doping and formation of alloy-based heterostructures by finely tuning the growth dynamics. Here, 2H-1T' Mox Re(1- x ) S2 alloy-to-alloy lateral heterostructures are synthesized through this one-step CVD growth method, utilizing the cross-contamination and different growth temperatures of the two alloys. Due to the doping of a small amount of Re atoms in 2H MoS2 , 2H Mox Re(1- x ) S2 has a high response rejection ratio in the solar-blind ultraviolet (SBUV) region and exhibits a positive photoconductive (PPC) effect. While the 1T' Mox Re(1- x ) S2 formed by heavily doping Mo atoms into 1T' ReS2 will produce a negative photoconductivity (NPC) effect under ultraviolet (UV) laser irradiation. The optoelectronic property of 2H-1T' Mox Re(1- x ) S2 -based heterostructures can be modulated by gate voltage. These findings are expected to expand the functionality of traditional optoelectronic devices and have potential applications in optoelectronic logic devices. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Application of Graphene-Combined Rare-Earth Oxide (Sm2O3) in Solar-Blind Ultraviolet Photodetection.

Rare-earth oxide Sm2O3 is theoretically expected to be used in the preparation of ultraviolet (UV) detectors with low dark currents and high radiation resistance due to its characteristics of a wide bandgap, a high dielectric constant, and high chemical stability. However, certain features that rare-earth oxides possess, such as high resistivity and weak photoelectric response currents, have hindered relevant research on these kinds of materials in the field of UV detection. In this work, a p-Gr/i-Sm2O3/n-SiC heterojunction photovoltaic solar-blind UV sensor was constructed for the first time. Because of the high mobility of graphene (Gr) and the contribution of double built-in electric fields in the heterojunction, the collection efficiency of photogenerated carriers has been greatly improved, with the typical shortcomings of high resistivity and poor photoelectric response performance of rare-earth oxides having been overcome. This detector has exhibited outstanding performance at 0 V, including a responsivity of 19.8 mA/W and an open-circuit voltage of 0.68 V. Additionally, this detector has a detectivity as high as 1.2 × 1011 jones, which is at the front position of most ultraviolet detectors. The fabrication of this high-performance Sm2O3-based photovoltaic UV detector has broadened the application fields of rare-earth oxide semiconductors. Therefore, this project has important value for future research in relevant fields.

Solar-blind UV communication based on sensitive β -Ga2O3 photoconductive detector array

In this work, a solar-blind UV photodetector array is fabricated and discussed, based on a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition-grown β-Ga2O3 thin film, toward optical communication application. The high-performance photodetector unit shows a significant photo-to-dark current ratio of 3.4 × 105, a high responsivity of 61.3 A/W, an external quantum efficiency of 3 × 104%, a specific detectivity of 5.2 × 1014 Jones, and a fast response time of 35 ms. In addition, a solar-blind UV/visible light rejection ratio of 2.43 × 102 is achieved, suggesting decent spectral selectivity. For the array, the maximum photocurrent standard deviation is below 12% for every group with a similar layout arrangement. Furthermore, the dark current is at picoampere level, leading to low background noise for the optical communication system. Taking the 50% photocurrent value as the readout threshold line to avoid interference from the exterior meanwhile retaining about 500 on/off cycles, the optical communicated result shows effective outputting information “NJUPT2023” coming from a total of 256 “1” and “0” signals.

High-detectivity solar-blind deep UV photodetectors based on cubic/monoclinic mixed-phase (InxGa1−x)2O3 thin films

Mixed-phase (InxGa1−x)2O3 films were fabricated by excessive doping of In in Ga2O3 and by controlling different precursor weight ratios of monoclinic Ga2O3 and cubic In2O3. X-ray diffraction and transmission spectra showed that excessive indium doping over the solubility of In in Ga2O3 causes phase separation and the formation of films in which monoclinic (InxGa1−x)2O3 (β-IGO) and cubic (InxGa1−x)2O3 (c-IGO) coexist. The (InxGa1−x)2O3 photodetector with a ratio of Ga2O3: In2O3 = 10: 1 is highly sensitive to solar-blind radiation with an ultralow dark current of 0.03 pA and a large I254 nm/Idark up to 2.53 × 107 under − 7 V bias. Under a bias of 10 V, the device has a high responsivity and detectivity of 0.97 A/W and 4.62 × 1014 Jones, respectively. The ultralow dark current is attributed to the interface states at the grain boundaries between β-IGO and c-IGO in the mixed-phase films, which can trap electrons and form potential barriers that inhibit carrier transport. Irradiation under 254 nm light generates electron-hole pairs in β-IGO and c-IGO, which are separated by internal electric fields. The holes are captured during migration by potential traps, causing continuous electron injection and sweep-out until the holes escape from the traps, resulting in a device with good performance. The proposed alloying method could be used to fabricate future photoelectric devices.

Hydrothermal Growth of an Al-Doped α-Ga2O3 Nanorod Array and Its Application in Self-Powered Solar-Blind UV Photodetection Based on a Photoelectrochemical Cell.

Herein, we successfully fabricated an Al-doped α-Ga2O3 nanorod array on FTO using the hydrothermal and post-annealing processes. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that an Al-doped α-Ga2O3 nanorod array on FTO has been realized via a much simpler and cheaper way than that based on metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, magnetron sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy, and pulsed laser deposition. And, a self-powered Al-doped α-Ga2O3 nanorod array/FTO photodetector was also realized as a photoanode at 0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell, showing a peak responsivity of 1.46 mA/W at 260 nm. The response speed of the Al-doped device was 0.421 s for rise time, and 0.139 s for decay time under solar-blind UV (260 nm) illumination. Compared with the undoped device, the responsivity of the Al-doped device was ~5.84 times larger, and the response speed was relatively faster. When increasing the biases from 0 V to 1 V, the responsivity, quantum efficiency, and detectivity of the Al-doped device were enhanced from 1.46 mA/W to 2.02 mA/W, from ~0.7% to ~0.96%, and from ~6 × 109 Jones to ~1 × 1010 Jones, respectively, due to the enlarged depletion region. Therefore, Al doping may provide a route to enhance the self-powered photodetection performance of α-Ga2O3 nanorod arrays.

Chemical reaction-mass transport model of Ga2O3 grown by TEGa in MOCVD and an intelligent system

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) is rationally expected to have a wide range of applications prospects in power electronics, solar-blind UV detectors, gas detectors, and other fields. Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is a key technology for achieving high-quality and large-scale film growth, but with complex fluid fields, temperature fields, component distribution, and chemical reaction processes, the process is akin to a black box. In this study, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach and a complete reaction mechanism were used to model the chemical reaction and mass transport for gallium oxide film growth based on a vertical rotating disc reactor (RDR) MOCVD system. The effect of temperature on film growth was explored and analyzed. It was found that the growth temperature can be divided into four regions, respectively controlled by thermal flow field, reaction rate, component transport, and parasitic reaction, and there is a competitive relationship between them. In the component transport region, the influence of different process parameters such as pressure, flow rate, and rotational speed on the growth was investigated. The regulation of film uniformity is achieved by the coupled regulation of 5 pairs of MO source inlets and multiple process parameters. Combined with artificial intelligence techniques, an intelligent system for realizing flow field visualization, growth result prediction, process parameter optimization, and abnormal result tracking was proposed for the first time. It can provide systematic guidance for film growth.

Comprehensive enhancement of ZnGa2O4-based solar blind photodetector performance by suppressing defects in oxygen-rich atmosphere

ZnGa2O4 is a potential candidate material for next-generation solar-blind UV photodetectors (PDs) owing to its intrinsically wide bandgap and various favorable physical properties. The photoelectric properties of metal oxides are susceptible to oxygen. This study investigated the effect of oxygen flow on the properties of ZnGa2O4 thin films. Furthermore, photovoltaic devices with Au as Schottky contacts were fabricated to compare the performance. The ZnGa2O4 films grown in an oxygen-rich atmosphere exhibit better crystallinity and fewer oxygen vacancies than those grown in an oxygen-poor atmosphere, and the corresponding device demonstrates excellent performance parameter at a bias voltage of 10 V: a responsivity (R), external quantum efficiency (EQE) and detectivity (D*) up to 15.62 A/W, 7626%, ∼1015 Jones, respectively. Additionally, the suppression of oxygen vacancies prevents persistent photoconductivity under low light irradiation. The device possesses satisfactory rise/decay times of 0.125/0.025 s and maintains excellent stability and repeatability. Our study confirms that sputtering in an oxygen-rich atmosphere is an effective strategy for producing ZnGa2O4 thin films that can be applied for fabricating ZnGa2O4 solar-blind PDs with excellent comprehensive performance.

MgO (1 0 0) as an affordable support for heteroepitaxial growth of high-quality β-Ga2O3 thin films and related highly-sensitive solar-blind UV photodetectors

Heteroepitaxial growth of high-quality β-Ga2O3 thin films on foreign substrates is of crucial importance for achieving high-performance power-electronic and optoelectronic devices with affordable prices. Herein, we demonstrate realization of heteroepitaxial growth of high-quality β-Ga2O3 films on MgO(100) via pulsed laser deposition, and achievement of related highly-sensitive solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors (SBUVPDs). Under optimized oxygen pressure (7 Pa), single-phase, (100)-oriented, and atomically-smooth β-Ga2O3 films were grown epitaxially on MgO(100), consisting of unique 8–12 nm-wide columnar nanodomains. Atomically-resolvable aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy unveiled initial growth of a cubic γ-phase transition layer of ∼ 8 nm thickness, and directly visualized occurrence and preferable location of oxygen vacancies at domain walls in the further grown β-Ga2O3 film. Density-functional-theory simulations rationalized the formation of columnar nanodomains in terms of energetics, and presumably identified the nanodomains interface orientations as (112¯)/(11¯2¯). The heteroepitaxial β-Ga2O3(100)/MgO(100) film-based photodetector demonstrates excellent performance, featured with exceedingly-low dark current, remarkably-high light-to-dark current ratio, and ultrahigh responsivity and detectivity (Idark = 0.6 pA, Ilight/Idark = 1.47 × 107, R = 191 A/W, D*=3.08 × 1015 Jones) as well as fast response speed towards 255 nm-UV detection. This work highlights MgO(100) as a suited yet affordable foreign substrate for heteroepitaxial growth of high-quality β-Ga2O3 films towards further development of high-performance devices such as SBUVPDs.

Ion energy dependence of dry etch damage depth in Ga2O3 Schottky rectifiers

The β-polytype of Ga2O3 has a high critical electric field strength (∼8 MV.cm−1) and can be grown as large diameter (6 in.) single crystal boules by inexpensive melt-growth techniques. This makes it promising for next generation power electronics and solar-blind UV photodetectors. Since wet etching is not feasible for patterning such devices due to the chemical inertness of Ga2O3, attention is focused on dry etching, with the attendant issue of surface modification due to chemical or ion-induced changes. In this work, we demonstrate that dry etch damage in β-Ga2O3 is manifested by a reduction in near-surface carrier concentration, possibly due to the introduction of Gav acceptor states. The depth to which the carrier density is affected depends on the interplay between ion energy and etch rate, with faster etch rates reducing the depth of the remaining damaged region. The maximum damage depth observed experimentally from capacitance-voltage profiling on Schottky rectifiers was ∼ 110 nm, well beyond the range of the ions in the Inductively Coupled Plasmas and emphasizing that rapid diffusion of point defects occurs into the sample during the etch step. Using Schottky rectifier structures as a platform to understand the effect of dry etch damage on device parameters, we found that on-state resistance was more affected than ideality factor or breakdown voltage, with a large increase (5x) for ion energies ≥ 325 eV. Reverse current density characteristics showed the presence of trap-assisted space-charge-limited conduction in the damaged layers. The implications for high power rectifier fabrication are discussed.

High-Performance Self-Driven Solar-Blind Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on HfZrO2/β-Ga2O3 Heterojunctions.

Ga2O3 is a wide-bandgap semiconductor that has shown great potential for application in solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors. However, the responsivity and detectivity of Ga2O3-based self-driven solar-blind UV photodetectors are insufficient for practical applications at present because of the limited separation of photogenerated carriers in the devices. In this work, Hf0.5Zr0.5O2/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction-based self-driven solar-blind UV photodetectors are constructed by combining ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HfZrO2) material with Ga2O3, taking advantage of the ultrawide bandgap of HfZrO2 and the favorable II-type energy band configuration between both. Upon optimization, a HfZrO2/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction-based UV photodetector with a HfZrO2 layer thickness of 10 nm is shown to provide remarkable responsivity (R = (14.64 ± 0.3) mA/W) and detectivity (D* = (1.58 ± 0.03) × 1012 Jones), which are much superior to those of a single Ga2O3-based device toward 240 nm light illumination. Further, the device performance is adjustable with varying poling states of HfZrO2 and shows substantial enhancement in the upward poling state, benefiting from the constructive coupling of the ferroelectric depolarization electric field in HfZrO2 and the built-in electric field at the HfZrO2/β-Ga2O3 interface. Under illumination of weak light of 0.19 μW/cm2, the upward poled device shows significantly enhanced R (52.6 mA/W) and D* (5.7 × 1012 Jones) values. The performance of our device surpasses those of most previously reported Ga2O3-based self-driven photodetectors, indicating its great potential in practical applications for sensitive solar-blind UV detection.

Rapid Response Solar Blind Deep UV Photodetector with High Detectivity Based On Graphene:N/βGa2 O3 :N/GaN p-i-n Heterojunction Fabricated by a Reversed Substitution Growth Method.

This work reports a high-detectivity solar-blind deep ultraviolet photodetector with a fast response speed, based on a nitrogen-doped graphene/βGa2 O3 /GaN p-i-n heterojunction. The i layer of βGa2 O3 with a Fermi level lower than the central level of the forbidden band of 0.2eV is obtained by reversed substitution growth with oxygen replacing nitrogen in the GaN matrix, indicating the majority carrier is hole. X-ray diffractometershows that the transformation of GaN into βGa2 O3 with (-201) preferred orientation at temperature above 900°C in an oxygen ambient. The heterojunction shows enhanced self-powered solar blind detection ability with a response time of 3.2µs (rise)/0.02ms (delay) and a detectivity exceeding 1012 Jones. Under a reverse bias of -5V, the photoresponsivity is 8.3 A W-1 with a high Ilight /Idark ratio of over 106 and a detectivity of ≈9 × 1014 Jones. The excellent performance of the device is attributed to 1) the continuous conduction band without a potential energy barrier, 2) the larger built-in potential in the heterojunction because of the downward shift of Fermi energy level in β-Ga2 O3 , and 3) an enhanced built-in electric field in the βGa2 O3 due to introducing p-type graphene with a high hole concentration of up to ≈1020 cm-3 .

Fused solar-blind UV/VIS Bi-spectral sensing and imaging with vertically stacking ZnGa2O4/MAPbI3 structure

Various spectral bands provide different types of information, and information enhancement could be achieved by selective fusion of different spectral bands. The fused solar-blind Ultraviolet (UV)/Visible (VIS) bi-spectral sensing and imaging can provide the precise location of UV targets in virtue of VIS background, which has been increasingly promoted. However, most reported UV/VIS bi-spectral photodetectors (PDs) only have one single channel towards a broadband spectrum of both UV and VIS light, which cannot distinguish two kinds of signals, hindering the image fusion of bi-spectral signals. This work demonstrates the solar-blind UV/VIS bi-spectral PD based on vertically stacking perovskite of MAPbI3 and ternary oxide of ZnGa2O4 with independent and distinct response toward solar-blind UV and VIS light in a single pixel. The PD exhibits excellent sensing properties with an I on/I off ratio of >107 and 102, detectivity of >1010 and 108 Jones, and response decay time of 90 μs and 16 ms for VIS and UV channels, respectively. The successful fusion of VIS and UV images suggests that our bi-spectral PD can be applied in the accurate identification of corona discharge and fire detection.

Design, crystal growth and characterizations of novel bis morpholinium zinc bromide single crystals for optoelectronic applications

A novel metal-organic third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) material with promising excellent properties in the crucial solar blind UV region. For the first time, high NLO active metal-organic complex of bis-morpholinium zinc bromide (BMZB) single crystal has been rationally designed and single crystals have been grown by slow evaporation solution technique (SEST). Remarkably, the grown crystal exhibits competitive and even superior physical properties including high thermal stability and wider transparency than the standard NLO single crystal. The title compound crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system with the space group of P21/cc and four molecules are accumulated in the unit cell (unit cell parameters are a = 6.7860 (6) Å, b = 16.6239 (2) Å, c = 14.8875 (2) Å, β = 94.937 (3)° and Z = 4). Further, the phase purity and the crystallinity of the grown sample were analyzed through powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis has been used to determine the presence of multifarious functional groups in the grown crystal. The recorded optical transmittance spectrum reveals that the BMZB crystal possesses good optical transparency in the range between deep ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) regions. Intriguingly, the short cut-off edge of the grown crystal is found to be about 227 nm which is more favorable for developing modern photonic and optoelectronic devices in the solar blind UV region. The thermal and mechanical stabilities of the grown crystals have been studied using Vickers microhardness and thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) respectively. Moreover, key requirements for designing practical NLO devices such as large laser damage threshold (LDT) and excellent third-order NLO response have been observed in the grown single crystal. Therefore, our findings open up a new avenue to the rational design of thermally stable and large NLO active metal-organic complexes for practical NLO applications.