A p-silicon nanowire/n-ZnO thin film heterojunction diode prepared by thermal evaporation

Abstract

This paper represents the electrical and optical characteristics of a SiNW/ZnO heterojunction diode and subsequent studies on the photodetection properties of the diode in the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength region. In this work, silicon nanowire arrays were prepared on p-type (100)-oriented Si substrate by an electroless metal deposition and etching method with the help of ultrasonication. After that, catalyst-free deposition of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires on a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array substrate was done by utilizing a simple and cost-effective thermal evaporation technique without using a buffer layer. The SEM and XRD techniques are used to show the quality of the as-grown ZnO nanowire film. The junction properties of the diode are evaluated by measuring current—voltage and capacitance—voltage characteristics. The diode has a well-defined rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio of 190 at ±2 V, turn-on voltage of 0.5 V, and barrier height is 0.727 eV at room temperature under dark conditions. The photodetection parameters of the diode are investigated in the bias voltage range of ±2 V. The diode shows responsivity of 0.8 A/W at a bias voltage of 2 V under UV illumination (wavelength = 365 nm). The characteristics of the device indicate that it can be used for UV detection applications in nano-optoelectronic and photonic devices.