ZnO Doping-Induced Performance Boost in Co₂TiO₄/n-Si Schottky Self-Powered Photodetectors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Silicon-based photodetectors are crucial for optoelectronic applications.
• Enhancing photodetector performance, particularly responsivity and detectivity, is an ongoing research area.
• Nanocomposite interlayers offer a promising route to improve device characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize ZnO-doped Co2TiO4 nanocomposites.
• To investigate the performance of silicon-based Schottky photodetectors utilizing these nanocomposites as interlayers.
• To evaluate the impact of ZnO doping on the optoelectronic properties of the photodetectors.

Main Methods:

• Co2TiO4 and ZnO-doped Co2TiO4 nanocomposites were synthesized.
• Structural characterization was performed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).
• Optoelectronic characterization involved evaluating photodetector performance across a broad spectral range (351-1600 nm) and varying light intensities.

Main Results:

• ZnO doping significantly enhanced the performance of Co2TiO4/n-Si photodetectors.
• Responsivity improved from 0.35 to 17.39 mA/W (351 nm) and 1.75 to 23.76 mA/W (1000 nm).
• Specific detectivity surpassed 10^10 Jones, and External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) improved to 6.43% (351 nm).

Conclusions:

• ZnO doping effectively enhances light absorption, carrier transport, and signal-to-noise ratio in Co2TiO4/n-Si photodetectors.
• The Co2TiO4-ZnO/n-Si photodetector demonstrates high performance across a broad spectrum.
• These findings position the Co2TiO4-ZnO/n-Si photodetector as a strong candidate for broadband, self-powered photodetection.