Broadband spectral photodetector based on all-amorphous ZnO/Si heterostructure incorporating Ag intermediate thin-films

Abstract

The purpose of the present work is to experimentally investigate a new high-performance broadband photodetector (PD) based on all-amorphous ZnO/Si heterostructure incorporating Ag ultrathin films. The sensor was developed using the RF magnetron sputtering method at room temperature conditions. In this context, a-ZnO/Ag/a-ZnO/a-Si/Ag/a-Si embedded ultrathin-films were sputtered on the glass substrate. The device structural, morphological, optical, and photodetection characteristics were studied by performing XRD, SEM, EDX, UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy, and photoresponse characterizations. The analysis showed an improved absorbance behavior over a wide spectral range. It was demonstrated that the use of a-ZnO/a-Si heterostructure with Ag intermediate ultrathin-films incorporation leads to achieving multiband photodetection property with low dark noise effects, where the photodetector provides high responsivity values of 208 mA/W, 160 mA/W, and 180 mA/W over UV, Visible and NIR spectral ranges. These improvements are attributed to the combined effects of improved light-scattering due to the effect of agglomeration of silver on the surface, and the absorbance improvement enabled by optical micro-cavity effects generated by the inserted Ag ultrathin-films. Therefore, the present experimental study can offer new strategies for the development of highly-detective broadband multispectral photosensors based on a-Si photonics platform, which are suitable for optoelectronic applications.