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Title: Transparent conductor-Si pillars heterojunction photodetector

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4892489· OSTI ID:22314631
 [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, Incheon 406772 (Korea, Republic of)
  2. Measurement and Analysis Division, National Nanofab Center (NNFC), Daejeon 305-806 (Korea, Republic of)

We report a high-performing heterojunction photodetector by enhanced surface effects. Periodically, patterned Si substrates were used to enlarge the photo-reactive regions and yield proportionally improved photo-responses. An optically transparent indium-tin-oxide (ITO) was deposited on a Si substrate and spontaneously formed an ITO/Si heterojunction. Due to an electrical conductive ITO film, ITO/Si heterojunction device can be operated at zero-bias, which effectively suppresses the dark current, resulting in better performances than those by a positive or a negative bias operation. This zero-bias operating heterojunction device exhibits a short response time (∼ 22.5 ms) due to the physical reaction to the incident light. We revealed that the location of the space charge region (SCR) is crucial for a specific photon-wavelength response. The SCR space has the highest collection efficiency of the photo-generated carriers. The photo-response can be maximized when we design the photodetector by superposing the SCR space over a corresponding photon-absorption length. The surface enhanced Si pillar devices significantly improved the photo-responses ratios from that of a planar Si device. According to this design scheme, a high photo-response ratio of 5560% was achieved at a wavelength of 600 nm. This surfaced-enhanced heterojunction design scheme would be a promising approach for various photoelectric applications.

OSTI ID:
22314631
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 116, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English