Performance enhancement of silicon photodiodes through the integration of green synthesized reduced graphene oxide variants

Abstract

This study examines the potential of enhancing the optoelectronic properties of silicon photodiodes by producing and analyzing heterostructures that incorporate reduced graphene oxide (rGO) synthesized with silicon using different reduction methods. Graphene oxide (GO) was manufactured utilizing an enhanced Hummers’ method. Subsequently, reduced graphene oxides (rGOs) were made by chemical and thermal reduction processes, which are considered ecologically friendly. The use of ascorbic acid to produce ascorbic acid-reduced graphene oxide (ArGO) and thermal processing to produce thermally reduced graphene oxide (TrGO) have significantly contributed to the development of high-performance photodiode technology. The electrical properties were carefully assessed under different levels of light, revealing the substantial impact of integrating reduced graphene oxides (rGOs) on the performance of the diodes. Comparing ArGO/Si, TrGO/Si, and GO/Si heterostructures shows that customized rGO has the potential to greatly influence the responsivity and efficiency of Si-based optoelectronic devices, making a significant contribution to photodiode technology.