Electron Transit Time Research Articles

Simulation of electron transport in a catoptric photomultiplier tube concept for large rectangular scintillator crystals

Spectroscopic scintillation detector form factors have been guided primarily by the design of commercially available photonic sensors. These devices, such as photomultiplier tubes, silicon photomultipliers, and hybrid photodetectors have underperformed in one or more areas such as size, power consumption, and resolution. A novel photomultiplier tube having a 50.8×152.4 mm2 rectangular window, utilizing a reflection-mode photocathode, and a low-gain, miniaturized dynode set is considered here to improve photosensor packaging while enabling high-efficiency, low-resolution scintillation spectroscopy with large, planar scintillators. Using a phenomenological multiphysics simulation process informed by empirical data, photoelectron collection efficiency, single-photoelectron response, electron transit time, and transit time spread have been modeled over a range of operating potentials. At 750 V between the photocathode and anode, 72.5% of photoelectrons are collected at the first dynode, and the average gain is estimated to be 805. The most probable transit time is 14.9 ns, with a transit time spread of 2.7 ns full-width at half-maximum.

Synergistic current drive of helicon wave and lower hybrid wave in HL-2M

Non-inductive current drive plays a crucial role in tokamak, especially for its steady state operations. Recently, the helicon wave (HW) has been regarded as a promising tool for driving off-axis plasma current in reactor-grade machine. The lower-hybrid wave (LHW) is the most effective radio-frequency current drive method, however, it has the drawback, which is limited by the conditions of wave accessibility in the high parameter tokamak, making the wave power usually damped at the plasma edge. HW can spiral towards the plasma centre directly under a high electron density. To obtain a long pulse steady state operation of reactor tokamak, the complementarity of HW and LHW in the aspect of driven current distribution in the high parameter tokamak is considered. The synergy current drive of the HW and the LHW is studied numerically in the steady-state scenario of HL-2M. According to the fast wave dispersion relation of plasma, the HW parameters, including its wave frequency and launched parallel refractive index, are obtained firstly. Results of GENRAY code simulation show that a single pass wave power absorption of the HW can be obtained generally through the electron Landau damping and transit time magnetic pumping effects. On the other hand, the LHW parameters are adopted from the equipped system on the machine. Results of single pass wave absorption are also obtained in the case of LHW. And then, the synergy effects of HW and LHW are studied numerically based on the GENRAY/CQL3D models. The cooperation of these two waves results in a broad plasma current distribution along the radial direction (<inline-formula><tex-math id="M2">\begin{document}$\rho = $\end{document}</tex-math><alternatives><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="24-20231077_M2.jpg"/><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="24-20231077_M2.png"/></alternatives></inline-formula>0.2－0.9) in the machine. Taking the electron distribution functions of these waves into account, it is clear that the electrons are accelerated by the HW in the parallel magnetic field direction, resulting in more electrons entering the region of LHW resonance area. As the consequence, a net plasma current appears. Furthermore, a fine-grained parametric scan is performed by changing the launched parallel refractive index of HW, and the results indicate that positive synergy effects can be generally observed once the related wave current drive profiles are overlapped. Finally, the synergy factor is shown to be proportional to this overlap and reaches its maximum value of 1.18 in HL-2M.

100-fs time-resolved streak tube design based on anisotropy and post-acceleration technology

Reducing the space charge effect and the time dispersion caused by the edge field effect of the scanning deflection system is the key to realizing a 100-fs streak tube. In this paper, a novel fs streak tube is proposed and designed. The factors affecting its temporal resolution are analyzed theoretically and the specifications are given. Parameters including the electric field distribution and electron transmittance of the two common acceleration systems (planar cathode-mesh accelerating electrode and planar cathode-slit accelerating electrode) are compared with each other and analyzed theoretically. The results show that although the electric field distribution formed by the planar cathode (mesh accelerating electrode) can form uniform electric field, the electron transmittance is very low; planar cathode-slit accelerating structure will defocus the photoelectron beam along the scanning direction, but the electron transmittance in the effective detection range of the cathode is as high as 100%. The defocusing of the photoelectron beam can be removed by setting a narrow slit in front of the anode. The focusing electrode adopts two sets of plate-like structures which are vertically positioned in front and back to form a one-dimensional focusing electric fields along the scanning direction and the slit direction, respectively. The spatial focusing electrode is arranged close to the phosphor screen, which is beneficial to pushing back the cross-point of the electron beam along the spatial direction. Thus, the electron transit time dispersion in the condition of large electron density will decrease. At the same time, the anode can provide a post-accelerating voltage of +5000 V, which is beneficial to shortening the transit time and dispersion of the photoelectrons, thereby improving the temporal resolution. Based on the above theoretical analysis, a novel femtosecond streak tube is designed by using the planar cathode-slit accelerating electrode, anisotropic focusing system and post-accelerating method. The influence of the anode slit width on the spatial and temporal resolution is simulated. The results show that the temporal resolution deteriorates with the increase of the anode slot width (10－50 μm), due to the fact that the increase of the anode slit width will lead to the gradual increase of the size of the electron spot along the scanning direction, which will lead to the increase of the technical time dispersion. In addition, this study gives the simulation results of the femtosecond streak tube when the anode slit width is in a range of 10－50 μm. The results show that the static spatial resolution is higher than 100 lp/mm at MTF = 10%, dynamic spatial resolution is higher than 29 lp/mm at MTF = 10%, the temporal resolution is better than 122 fs in the range of 4-mm cathode effective detection length. When the effective detection length of the cathode is increased to 8 mm, the dynamic spatial resolution of the streak tube is higher than 22 lp/mm at MTF = 10%, and the temporal resolution is better than 191 fs.

100 fs time-resolved streak tube design based on anisotropy and post-acceleration technology

Reducing the space charge effect and the time dispersion caused by the edge field effect of the scanning deflection system is the key to realize the 100-femtosecond streak tube. In this paper, a novel femtosecond streak tube is proposed and designed. The factors affecting the temporal resolution are analyzed theoretically and the specifications are given. Parameters including the electric field distribution and electron transmittance on the two common acceleration system structures (planar cathode -mesh accelerating electrode and planar cathode – slit accelerating electrode) are compared and analyzed theoretically. The results show that although the electric field distribution formed by the planar cathode – mesh accelerating electrode could form uniform electric field, the electron transmittance is very low; planar cathode-slit accelerating structure would defocus the photoelectron beam along the scanning direction, but the electron transmittance in the effective detection range of the cathode is as high as 100%. The defocusing of the photoelectron beam can be removed by setting a narrow slit in front of the anode. The focusing electrode adopts two groups of plate-like structures which are vertically placed front and back, forming one-dimensional focusing electric fields along the scanning and the slit direction, respectively. The spatial focusing electrode is placed close to the phosphor screen, which is beneficial to push back the cross-point of the electron beam along the spatial direction. Thus, the electron transit time dispersion in the condition of large electron density would decrease. At the same time, the anode can provide a post-accelerating voltage of +5000 V, which is beneficial to shorten the transit time and dispersion of the photoelectrons, thereby improving the temporal resolution. Based on the above theoretical analysis, a novel femtosecond streak tube is designed by using planar cathode-slit accelerating electrode, anisotropic focusing system and post-accelerating method. The influence of the anode slit width on the spatial and temporal resolution is simulated. The results show that the temporal resolution deteriorates with the increase of the anode slot width (10 μm ~ 50 μm), due to the increase of the anode slit width will lead to the gradual increase of the size of the electron spot along the scanning direction, which would lead to the increase of the technical time dispersion. In addition, this study gives the simulation results of the femtosecond streak tube when the anode slit width is in the range of 10~50 μm. The results show that the static spatial resolution is higher than 100 lp/mm @ MTF=10%, dynamic spatial resolution is higher than 29 lp/mm @ MTF = 10%, the temporal resolution is better than 122 fs in the range of 4 mm cathode effective detection length. When the effective detection length of the cathode is increased to 8 mm, the dynamic spatial resolution of the streak tube tube is higher than 22 lp/mm @ MTF=10%, and the temporal resolution is better than 191 fs.

Magnetron Sputtered Al Co-Doped with Zr-Fe2O3 Photoanode with Fortuitous Al2O3 Passivation Layer to Lower the Onset Potential for Photoelectrochemical Solar Water Splitting

In this paper, we investigate the magnetron sputtering deposition of an Al-layer on Zr-doped FeOOH (Zr-FeOOH) samples to fabricate a Zr/Al co-doped Fe2O3 (Al-Zr/HT) photoanode. An Al-layer is deposited onto Zr-FeOOH through magnetron sputtering and the thickness of the Al deposition is regulated by differing the sputtering time. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy, Mott-Schottky and time-resolved photoluminescence spectra analyses were used to study, in depth, the correlations between sputtered Al-layer thicknesses and PEC characteristics. High-temperature quenching (800 °C) assists in diffusing the Al3+ in the bulk of the Zr-doped Fe2O3 photoanode, whilst an unintended Al2O3 passivation layer forms on the surface. The optimized Al-Zr/HT photoelectrode achieved 0.945 mA/cm2 at 1.0 VRHE, which is 3-fold higher than that of the bare Zr/HT photoanode. The Al2O3 passivation layer causes a 100 mV cathodic shift in the onset potential. Al co-doping improved the donor density, thus reducing the electron transit time. In addition, the passivation effect of the Al2O3 layer ameliorated the surface charge transfer kinetics. The Al2O3 passivation layer suppressed the surface charge transfer resistance, consequently expediting the hole migration from photoanode to electrolyte. We believe that the thickness-controlled Al-layer sputtering approach could be applicable for various metal oxide photoanodes to lower the onset potential.

Al nanoparticles decorated Er:TiO2 thin film based plasmonic photodetector

Aluminum (Al) nanoparticles (NPs) patterned Erbium-doped Titanium dioxide (Er:TiO2) thin films (TFs) were synthesized by the combination of sol-gel and glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique inside the thermal evaporation system. Effects of Al NPs on electrical and optical properties of the Er:TiO2 TF were experimented and systematically analyzed. Size of NPs was estimated from the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) image. Diameter of the maximum number of Al NPs was determined to be ∼13 nm. The presence of Al was confirmed from the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra. The optical absorption at around 315 nm revealed the plasmonic resonance of Al NPs. The Au/Er:TiO2/Al NPs/Er:TiO2/p-Si Schottky contact-based plasmonic photodetector (PD) was fabricated, which showed excellent photosensitivity under both forward and reverse bias conditions. The responsivity was calculated at an applied voltage of 1 V, which exhibited a high response in the UV region with peak responsivity at 330 nm and 380 nm. The device showed fast switching behaviors under the illumination of 350 nm with a rise time of ∼0.55 s and fall time of ∼0.13 s. A simple theoretical approach was adopted to evaluate some important parameters of the plasmonic device like photoconductive gain, transit time, and mobility of electrons. Detectivity (1.13 × 1012 Jones) and noise equivalent power (NEP) (2.46 × 10−14 W) at 330 nm indicate the suitability of the device as a sensitive UV PD. Hence, the embedded plasmonic Al NPs on Er:TiO2 TF-based devices can commercially emerge as an efficient and cost-effective UV photodetector.

Oriented CuWO4 Films for Improved Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

Hydrogen generation through photoelectrochemical (PEC) technology is one of the most appropriate ways for delivering sustainable fuel. Simultaneously, anisotropic properties will be exhibited by the materials with low crystal symmetry, allowing the tuning of the PEC properties by controlling the crystallographic orientation and exposed facets. Therefore, we synthesized copper tungstate films (CuWO4) with highly exposed (100) crystal facets by regulating anions in the precursor solution. According to experimental characterization and density functional theory calculations, the CuWO4 film with a high exposure ratio of the (100) crystal facet has promoted charge transport with trap-free mode and reduced recombination of electrons and holes. Meanwhile, the oxygen evolution reaction is promoted on the (100) facet because of the relatively low energy barrier. Compared to the CuWO4 with other mixed exposure facets, CuWO4 with a highly exposed (100) facet presents a twofold current density (0.38 mA/cm2) and one-fifteenth electron transit time (0.698 ms) and also has great stability (more than 6 h). These results provide an easy way to enhance the PEC performance by modulating the exposure facets of the film electrode.

Time resolution of a 1.8-m long BC-420 plastic scintillator bar with metal-packaged H11934 photomultiplier tubes

We tested a plastic-scintillator (PS) bar for the forward time-of-flight (TOF) detector of the J-PARC E50 spectrometer using a 740-MeV/c positron beam. The bar is composed of Saint-Gobain Crystals (BC-420), with a 30mm×40mm cross section and 1800-mm length. Each side of the bar is connected to a metal-packaged photomultiplier tube (PMT), Hamamatsu H11934-200 with an ultra-bialkali (UBA) photoelectric surface. The PMTs have an advanced feature of a small spread of the electron transit time (0.27ns) and high quantum efficiency (≈43%). The intrinsic resolutions for the timing measurement using the two PMTs connected to both the ends are found to be 0.053 and 0.059 ns in the standard deviation for the 40- and 30-mm-thick penetrations at the center, respectively. The results show that metal-packaged PMTs enable TOF measurements using an ordinary hodoscope consisting of 1.8-m-long PS bars with an excellent time resolution (∼0.06ns in the standard deviation).

Improved graphene-base heterojunction transistor with different collector semiconductors for high-frequency applications

A new kind of transistor device with a graphene monolayer embedded between two n-type silicon layers is fabricated and characterized. The device is called graphene-base heterojunction transistor (GBHT). The base-voltage controls the current of the device flowing from the emitter via graphene to the collector. The transit time for electrons passing by the ultrathin graphene layer is extremely short which makes the device very promising for high frequency RF-electronics. The output current of the device is saturated and clearly modulated by the base voltage. Further, the silicon collector of the GBHT is replaced by germanium to improve the device performance. This enabled the collector current to be increased by almost three orders of magnitude. Also, the common-emitter current gain (Ic/Ib) increased from 10-3 to approximately 0.3 for the newly designed device. However, the ON-OFF ratio of the improved germanium based GBHT has so far been rather low. Further optimizations are necessary in order to fully exploit the potential of the graphene-base heterojunction transistor.

Insight into the Roles of Metal Loading on CO2 Photocatalytic Reduction Behaviors of TiO2.

The photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into value-added chemicals is considered to be a green and sustainable technology, and has recently gained considerable research interest. In this work, titanium dioxide (TiO2) supported Pt, Pd, Ni, and Cu catalysts were synthesized by photodeposition. The formation of various metal species on an anatase TiO2 surface, after ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, was investigated insightfully by the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) technique. CO2 reduction under UV-light irradiation at an ambient pressure was demonstrated. To gain an insight into the charge recombination rate during reduction, the catalysts were carefully investigated by the intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The catalytic behaviors of the catalysts were investigated by density functional theory using the self-consistent Hubbard U-correction (DFT+U) approach. In addition, Mott–Schottky measurement was employed to study the effect of energy band alignment of metal-semiconductor on CO2 photoreduction. Heterojunction formed at Pt-, Pd-, Ni-, and Cu-TiO2 interface has crucial roles on the charge recombination and the catalytic behaviors. Furthermore, it was found that Pt-TiO2 provides the highest methanol yield of 17.85 µmol/gcat/h, and CO as a minor product. According to the IMPS data, Pt-TiO2 has the best charge transfer ability, with the mean electron transit time of 4.513 µs. We believe that this extensive study on the junction between TiO2 could provide a profound understanding of catalytic behaviors, which will pave the way for rational designs of novel catalysts with improved photocatalytic performance for CO2 reduction.

Evaluating the Ballistic Transport in nFinFETs: A Carrier Centric Perspective

A 3D-TCAD Monte Carlo device simulator with real-space treatment of the electron-electron (e-e) and electron-ion (e-i) interactions is used to evaluate the role of these Coulomb interactions, surface roughness scattering, and phonon scattering mechanisms on the charge transport and the ballisticity of nFinFETs. A statistical analysis was performed, showing an increased dominance of phonon scattering mechanisms over surface roughness scattering as the channel length scales down. An analysis of the transit time of electrons in the device was also performed, and it serves as a basis to study how the carrier's energy evolves as they stay in the channel. The results show a significant widening of the carriers' energy distribution and a decrease in its average value as the carriers' time in the channel increases. Such behavior is attributed to the surface and phonon scattering mechanisms, and particularly to the e-e interactions. While the phonon scattering mechanisms take a long time to be effective, the e-e interactions dominate at short time scales, which is consistent with literature findings. The impact of short-range e-e interactions was also evaluated. Results show that their impact becomes more significant as carriers' transit time gets smaller in deeply scaled devices.

The fast transit-time limit of magnetic pumping with trapped electrons

Recently, the energization of superthermal electrons at the Earth's bow shock was found to be consistent with a new magnetic pumping model derived in the limit where the electron transit time is much shorter than any time scale governing the evolution of the magnetic fields. The new model breaks with the common approach of integrating the kinetic equations along unperturbed orbits. Rather, the fast transit-time limit allows the electron dynamics to be characterized by adiabatic invariants (action variables) accurately capturing the nonlinear effects of electrons becoming trapped in magnetic perturbations. Without trapping, fast parallel streaming along magnetic field lines causes the electron pressure to be isotropized and homogeneous along the magnetic field lines. In contrast, trapping permits spatially varying pressure anisotropy to form along the magnetic field lines, and through a Fermi process this pressure anisotropy in turn becomes the main ingredient that renders magnetic pumping efficient for energizing superthermal electrons. We here present a detailed mathematical derivation of the model.

The Jovian Ionospheric Alfvén Resonator and Auroral Particle Acceleration

AbstractThe ionospheric Alfvén resonator (IAR) is a structure formed by the rapid decrease in the plasma density above a planetary ionosphere. This results in a corresponding increase in the Alfvén speed that can provide partial reflection of Alfvén waves. At Earth, the IAR on auroral field lines is associated with the broadband acceleration of auroral particles, sometimes termed the Alfvénic aurora. This arises since phase mixing in the IAR reduces the perpendicular wavelength of the Alfvén waves, which enhances the parallel electric field due to electron inertia. This parallel electric field fluctuates at frequencies of 0.1–20.0 Hz, comparable to the electron transit time through the acceleration region, leading to the broadband acceleration. The prevalence of such broadband acceleration at Jupiter suggests that a similar process can occur in the Jovian IAR. A numerical model of Alfvén wave propagation in the Jovian IAR has been developed to investigate these interactions, indicating that the IAR resonant frequencies are in the same range as those at Earth. This model describes the evolution of the electric and magnetic fields in the low‐altitude region close to Jupiter that is sampled during Juno's perijove passes. In particular, the model relates measurement of magnetic fields below the ion cyclotron frequency from the MAG and Waves instruments on Juno and electric fields from Waves to the associated parallel electric fields that can accelerate auroral particles.

Investigating the exciton formation zone and its roles in phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes

The exciton formation zone has been studied in phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). It is found that the width (W) of the exciton formation zone can be increased by reducing the transit time for holes (electrons) from the anode (cathode) into the emissive layer (EML) by decreasing the thickness of the hole (electron) transport layer. The increase in the thickness of the EML enables the exciton formation zone to be widened. The efficiency roll-off of the device is relieved when W increases. The device stability is found to be directly proportional to the product of W and the thickness of the electron transport layer. A thicker electron transport layer better suppresses diffusion of the metal cathode into the EML, increasing device stability but simultaneously decreasing the transit time for electrons from the cathode into the EML, and thereby W, so decreasing device stability. We also investigated the effect of charge carrier mobilities in the EML, modified by dye concentration, on W. The current research provides novel insights into guiding the delicate designs of OLEDs, hopefully pushing OLED technology towards high-luminance applications.

Magnetic field asymmetry of transport dynamics in a Coulomb-coupled quantum point contact

We report phase-resolved microwave magnetotransport measurements of a Coulomb-coupled quantum point contact in the edge state regime. We show that the inductive admittance is manifestly asymmetric under reversal of magnetic field, whereas the field-symmetric conductance is observed. Furthermore, the asymmetry is found to exhibit pronounced fluctuations as a function of magnetic field and transmission. This constitutes direct evidence that kinetic effects associated with the nonequilibrium polarization charge contribute to dynamical magnetoasymmetry in phase-coherent mesoscopic conductors. In addition, we find a striking magnetoasymmetry in the electronic transit time, providing important information about Coulomb coupling effects on quantum dynamics of electrons.

Ultimate response time in mid-infrared high-speed low-noise quantum cascade detectors

The ultimate response time in the active region of quantum cascade detectors (QCDs) with a peak response wavelength of 4.5 μm operating at room temperature is determined to be as short as one picosecond, by a comparison of the experimentally determined response time with the theoretical prediction based on an equivalent circuit model. The intrinsic response time of 1 ps is attributed to the electron transit time across only one module in the active region that contains a large number of cascade modules, that is, 45–90 cascade modules in the present QCDs. Therefore, the 3-dB cutoff frequency of the present QCDs is expected to be extremely high, that is, fcutoff ∼160 GHz (1/2πfcutoff ∼1 ps).

There is Plenty of Room for THz Tunneling Electron Devices Beyond the Transit Time Limit

The traditional transmission coefficient present in the original Landauer formulation, which is valid for quasi-static scenarios with working frequencies below the inverse of the electron transit time, is substituted by a novel time-dependent displacement current coefficient valid for frequencies above this limit. Our model captures in a simple way the displacement current component of the total current, which at frequencies larger than the inverse of the electron transit time can be more relevant than the particle component. The proposed model is applied to compute the response of a resonant tunneling diode from 10$\,$GHz up to 5$\,$THz. We show that tunneling electron devices are intrinsically nonlinear at such high frequencies, even under small-signal conditions, due to memory effects related to the displacement current. We show that these intrinsic nonlinearities (anharmonicities) represent an advantage, rather than a drawback, as they open the path for tunneling devices in many THz applications, and avoid further device downscaling.

Calculating multipactor susceptibility chart using a semi-analytic approach with improved accuracy

We propose a semi-analytic approach to investigate the multipactor in parallel plate structures with improved accuracy. The effects of emission velocity and transit time of electrons are studied and their corresponding susceptibility charts are calculated. As a result, the proposed model covers more dynamics of multipactor. In calculating the susceptibility chart, we propose a decision-making process taking into account impact velocity, required voltage, and trajectory of electrons. Therefore, we obtain a more accurate susceptibility chart that excludes non-physical scenarios. Our investigation reveals a different mechanism of multipactor, where the transit time of an electron across the gap can be either shorter or longer than the conventional half-cycle of the RF signal. The extent of this deviation depends on the maximum emission velocity of the secondaries. With this deviation, we demonstrate that the multipactor evolves over broader practical situations occurring not necessarily within a half-cycle of the RF signal. Finally, we study the higher-order multipactor resonances and also calculate their susceptibility charts. We demonstrate an overlap between the susceptibility charts of different orders depending on the emission velocity of primary electrons. The discussions herein provide an insight into the underlying dynamics of the multipactor, which can be used for practical multipactor suppression methods.

Noise and charge discreteness as ultimate limit for the THz operation of ultra-small electronic devices

To manufacture faster electron devices, the industry has entered into the nanoscale dimensions and Terahertz (THz) working frequencies. The discrete nature of the few electrons present simultaneously in the active region of ultra-small devices generate unavoidable fluctuations of the current at THz frequencies. The consequences of this noise remain unnoticed in the scientific community because its accurate understanding requires dealing with consecutive multi-time quantum measurements. Here, a modeling of the quantum measurement of the current at THz frequencies is introduced in terms of quantum (Bohmian) trajectories. With this new understanding, we develop an analytic model for THz noise as a function of the electron transit time and the sampling integration time, which finally determine the maximum device working frequency for digital applications. The model is confirmed by either semi-classical or full- quantum time-dependent Monte Carlo simulations. All these results show that intrinsic THz noise increases unlimitedly when the volume of the active region decreases. All attempts to minimize the low signal-to-noise ratio of these ultra-small devices to get effective THz working frequencies are incompatible with the basic elements of the scaling strategy. One can develop THz electron devices, but they cannot have ultra-small dimensions. Or, one can fabricate ultra-small electron devices, but they cannot be used for THz working frequencies.

An experimental and theoretical understanding of a UV photodetector based on Ag nanoparticles decorated Er-doped TiO2 thin film

Glancing angle deposition (GLAD) was employed to synthesise plasmonic Silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) on the chemically prepared Erbium-doped Titanium dioxide (Er:TiO2) thin films (TFs). The impact of using Ag NPs on the morphological, optical, and electrical aspects of Er:TiO2 TFs were sequentially analysed. From the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) image, the Ag NPs appeared spherical and uniformly distributed on the Er:TiO2 TFs. The size (diameter) of the maximum number of Ag NPs was ~15 nm (calculated from FESEM image). Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra assured the presence of Ag NPs on the TFs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern for Ag NPs decorated Er:TiO2 TFs closely resembled the face centred cubic crystal structure of Ag NPs and body centred tetragonal Ag–O compound. The optical spectroscopy (UV–visible diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence) elucidated that the absorption of light was significantly enhanced in the UV–visible spectral range for the TFs in which Ag NPs were sandwiched between Er:TiO2 TF layers (Er:TiO2/Ag NPs/Er:TiO2). The Schottky contact-based Au/Er:TiO2/Si photodetector (PD) and Au/Er:TiO2/Ag NPs/Er:TiO2/Si (plasmonic) PD were constructed. The plasmonic PD offered a better photo-responsivity of ~4.5 fold higher as compared to Er:TiO2 TF-based PD upon 380 nm illumination under −6 V bias. An increase in detectivity and a decrease in noise equivalent power was observed for the plasmonic device compared to Er:TiO2 device in the UV region. A theoretical approach had been adopted to calculate the wavelength-dependent responsivity for both devices. Further, the important parameters like photoconductive gain, electron transit time and electron mobility were calculated by simulating the experimental responsivity curves of the devices. These parameters exhibited improvement in the UV regime for the plasmonic PD. The fast temporal response with short rise and decay time proves the excellent efficiency of the plasmonic UV PD.