Surface Engineering in SnO2/Si for High-Performance Broadband Photodetectors
Miao Xu1,2, Zhihao Xu1,3, Zongheng Sun2,4
1Department of Physics, School of Physics and Materials Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou510006, People's Republic of China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|January 4, 2023
Summary
Engineered silicon photodetectors using tin oxide (SnO2) films achieve high performance across ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths. These textured silicon (T-Si) devices offer excellent responsivity and fast response times for broadband detection.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics
- Materials Science
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- Silicon-based photodetectors are crucial optoelectronic devices.
- Improving spectral responsivity and ultraviolet sensitivity is an ongoing research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop high-performance, broadband silicon photodetectors.
- To combine surface structure engineering of silicon with SnO2 films.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of textured silicon (T-Si) substrates.
- Deposition of wide-bandgap SnO2 films onto T-Si to create heterojunctions.
- Characterization of photodetector performance under varying wavelengths and bias voltages.
Main Results:
- SnO2/T-Si photodetectors demonstrated high responsivity from UV to NIR light.
- Optimized devices with inverted pyramid texture achieved responsivities of 0.512 A/W (UV), 0.538 A/W (Visible), and 1.88 A/W (NIR at 800 nm) at 1 V bias.
- Photodetectors exhibited fast response times with rise and decay times of 18.07 ms and 29.16 ms, respectively.
Conclusions:
- The developed SnO2/T-Si heterojunctions are effective for broadband photodetection.
- Surface structure engineering significantly enhances photodetector performance.
- These devices show potential for applications requiring high sensitivity across a wide spectral range.
