Ultrasensitive Thin-Film-Based Al_xGa_1-xN Piezotronic Strain Sensors via Alloying-Enhanced Piezoelectric Potential

Al_xGa_1-xN thin-film-based piezotronic strain sensors with ultrahigh strain sensitivity are fabricated through alloying of AlN with GaN. The strain sensitivity of the ternary compound Al_xGa_1-xN is higher than those of the individual binary compounds GaN and AlN. Such a high performance can be attributed to the piezoelectric constant enhancement via intercalation of Al atoms into the GaN matrix, the effect of residual strain, and a suppressed screening effect.