Fast-response self-powered double-heterojunction n-ZnO/p-ZnTe/n-Si photodetector

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Semiconductor Devices

Background:

• Photodetectors are crucial for light sensing applications.
• Developing fast-response, dual-wavelength sensitive photodetectors remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize a novel, self-driven double-heterojunction photodetector.
• To investigate its dual-responsive behavior under UV and visible light.
• To evaluate its performance metrics, including photo-responsivity and photo-detectivity.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a n-ZnO/p-ZnTe/n-Si double-heterojunction using rapid pulsed laser deposition (PLD).
• Characterization of photodetector performance under different wavelengths (375 nm and 530 nm) and applied biases.
• Analysis of response/recovery times and stability over time.

Main Results:

• The photodetector exhibited dual-responsive behavior at 375 nm (UV) and 530 nm (visible).
• High photo-responsivity (64.03 mA W⁻¹) and photo-detectivity (5.19 × 10¹⁴ Jones) were achieved at 375 nm under 0.5 V bias.
• Stable performance with <1.5% variation over 5 days at zero bias and fast response/recovery times (88-94 ms) were observed.

Conclusions:

• The novel n-ZnO/p-ZnTe/n-Si heterojunction photodetector demonstrates excellent dual-wavelength detection capabilities.
• The device shows potential for high-performance optoelectronic applications requiring fast and sensitive light detection.
• The fabrication method via PLD offers a viable route for creating advanced photodetector devices.