Facile SILAR deposited SnS/NiS vertical heterojunction for high performance flexible broadband photodetector

Abstract

Low-cost, flexible broadband photodetectors fabricated from two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenides have garnered attention because of their excellent absorption coefficient and photoconductivity. Likewise, vertical heterojunctions fabricated from two two-dimensional (2D) transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) also have drawn major curiosity lately owing to their superior optical performance. This work reports a p-p type II vertical Van der Waal's heterojunction structure by depositing thin film of NiS over SnS on a flexible paper substrate. Morphological and structural characterization confirms presence of a rhombohedral β-NiS crystal structure along with traces of Ni(OH)2 on orthorhombic SnS nanoparticles. The device fabrication method made use of the inexpensive, clean room free SILAR (Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction) technique. A purposeful modification of narrow bandgap property of NiS is done by depositing it in an alkaline environment. The fabricated device records optical responsivity of 0.92 mA/W under UV illumination, 5.32 mA/W under Visible illumination, and 0.8 mA/W under NIR illumination. A maximum EQE of 1.3 % is observed along with superior response times of 0.114 s (UV),0.103 s (Visible) and 1.34 s (NIR). The acquired photo response is due to superior absorption property of NiS in UV region and SnS in the visible and NIR region. The difference in fermi level between two materials causes efficient separation of the charge carriers that results in junctional electric field upon light illumination. The device underwent flexibility testing and shown exceptional resistance to bending force making it suitable for numerous applications like wearable healthcare monitoring, security purposes and flexible image sensors.