Junction area dependent performance of graphene/silicon based self-powered Schottky photodiodes

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. A. Physical. 2021-11, Vol.331, p.112829, Article 112829
• Main Authors: Fidan, Mehmet, Ünverdi, Özhan, Çelebi, Cem
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Detectivity; Graphene; Graphite; Infrared spectra; Near infrared radiation; Noise equivalent power; Optoelectronic devices; Optoelectronics; Photodiodes; Photovoltaic cells; Response speed; Responsivity; Schottky diodes; Schottky junction; Silicon; Silicon substrates; Solar cells; Spectral sensitivity; Standardization
• ISSN: 0924-4247; 1873-3069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2021.112829

[Display omitted] •The impact of active junction area on the photo-sensitivity performance of Gr/n-Si based self-powered Schottky photodiodes is investigated.•The spectral response of Gr/n-Si photodiodes increases linearly as a function of the size of graphene electrode in contact with n-Si substrate.•A spectral response of 0.76 A/W is achieved for the sample with 20 mm2 junction area, which is the highest value reported for Gr/n-Si photodiodes.•The response speed of Gr/n-Si photodiodes decreases with the increase in active junction area. This work reports the impact of junction area on the device performance parameters of Graphene/n-Silicon (Gr/n-Si) based Schottky photodiodes. Herein, three batches of Gr/n-Si photodiode samples were produced based on various sized CVD grown monolayer graphene layers transferred on individual n-Si substrates. The fabricated devices exhibited strong Schottky diode character and had high spectral sensitivity at 905 nm peak wavelength. The optoelectronic measurements showed that the spectral response of Gr/n-Si Schottky photodiodes has a linear dependence on the active junction area. The sample with 20 mm2 junction area reached a spectral response of 0.76 AW−1, which is the highest value reported in the literature for self-powered Gr/n-Si Schottky photodiodes without the modification of graphene electrode. In contrast to their spectral responsivities, the response speed of the samples were found to be lowered as a function of the junction area. The experimental results demonstrated that the device performance of Gr/n-Si Schottky photodiodes can be modified simply by changing the size of the graphene electrode on n-Si without need of external doping of graphene layer or engineering Gr/n-Si interface. This study may serve towards the standardization of junction area for the development of high performance Gr/Si based optoelectronic devices such as solar cells and photodetectors operating in between the ultraviolet and near-infrared spectral region.