Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance-Enhanced SiC UV Photodetectors Based on Ordered Al/Al₂O₃ Core-Shell Nanoparticle...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• 4H-Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC) based ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) are crucial for flame detection and secure communication.
• Existing UV PDs suffer from low quantum efficiency and slow response speeds, limiting their practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the performance of 4H-SiC metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) UV PDs.
• To investigate the effect of integrating periodic triangular Aluminum/Aluminum Oxide (Al/Al₂O₃) Core-Shell Nanoparticle (NP) Arrays on UV detection capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of 4H-SiC MSM PDs integrated with periodic triangular Al/Al₂O₃ Core-Shell NP Arrays.
• Characterization of PD performance under UV illumination, including dark current, responsivity, detectivity, and response speed.

Main Results:

• Achieved an extremely low dark current of 5.0 × 10^-14 A.
• Demonstrated a peak responsivity of 2.14 A/W, corresponding to an external quantum efficiency of 984%.
• Obtained a high detectivity of 1.22 × 10¹⁴ Jones and ultra-fast response times (0.74 ns rise, 1.47 ns fall).

Conclusions:

• The integration of NPs arrays significantly enhances UV detection performance.
• The observed improvements are attributed to the synergistic effects of the lightning rod effect and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR).
• These NP-enhanced 4H-SiC UV PDs show great potential for high-speed and high-precision UV detection applications.