Numerical evaluations of curcumin organic molecule and an experimental study on hybrid photodetector performance in visible and UV regions

Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate efficient self-powered visible and UV photodetectors with hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on organic curcumin pigment (CU), having C21H20O6 as a molecular formula, and inorganic silicon semiconductor in CU/n-Si architecture. The optical absorption spectrum of the CU film is investigated by UV–Visible absorption features with a broad emission band. The self-powered behavior of the CU/n-Si photodetector has been attributed to the built-in electric field formed between the CU and n-Si heterojunction interface. The optical performance of the hybrid photodetector, both under different light intensities of visible light and under 365 and 395 nm UV light, is investigated in detail by current-voltage measurements. CU/n-Si heterojunction photodetector exhibits excellent UV detecting capability and good photoresponsivity. The photo-response of the CU/n-Si device is slightly higher under 395 nm UV light than 365 nm one. The R and D* values obtained at 395 nm are 13.19 AW-1(at −2 V) and 1.22 × 1011 Jones (zero bias), respectively. Furthermore, under 365 and 395 nm light, the ON/OFF values are obtained as about 105. According to the simulated result, the curcumin molecule has great physical properties such as antibacterial activity and nonlinear optical response which makes it a potential candidate for biomedical and optoelectronic applications.