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High-sensitive MIS structures with silicon nanocrystals grown via solid-state dewetting of silicon-on-insulator for solar cell and photodetector applications

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Abstract

This work reports an original method for the fabrication of metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) structures with silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs)-based active layers embedded in the insulating SiO2 oxide, for high-performance solar cell and photodetector applications. The Si NCs are produced via the in situ solid-state dewetting of ultra-pure amorphous silicon-on-insulator (a-SOI) grown by solid source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE). The size and density of Si NCs are precisely tuned by varying the deposited thickness of silicon. The morphological characterization carried out by using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the Si NCs have homogeneous size with well-defined spherical shape and densities up to ~ 1012 /cm2 (inversely proportional to the square of nominal a-Si thickness). The structural investigations by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) show that the ultra-small Si NCs (with mean diameter ~ 7 nm) are monocrystalline and free of structural defects. The electrical measurements performed by current versus voltage (I–V) and photocurrent spectroscopies on the Si NCs-based MIS structures prove the efficiency of Si NCs to enhance the electrical conduction in MIS structures and to increase (× 10 times) the photocurrent (i.e., at bias voltage V = − 1 V) via the photo-generation of additional electron–hole pairs in the MIS structures. These results evidence that the Si NCs obtained by the combination of MBE growth and solid-state dewetting are perfectly suitable for the development of novel high-performance optoelectronic devices compatible with the CMOS technology.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Data sharing and data citation are encouraged.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Jouf University under Grant No (DSR-2021-03-03159).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, College of Science and Arts, Jouf University, P.O. Box 756, Al-Qurayat Branch, Sakakah, Saudi Arabia

    Mansour Aouassa

  2. Department of Physics, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia

    Saud A. Algarni

  3. Department of Chemistry, College of Science and Arts, Jouf University, P.O. Box 756, Al-Qurayat Branch, Sakakah, Saudi Arabia

    Ibrahim O. Althobaiti

  4. IM2NP, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, Université Toulon, 13397, Marseille, France

    Luc Favre & Isabelle Berbezier

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  1. Mansour Aouassa
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  2. Saud A. Algarni
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  3. Ibrahim O. Althobaiti
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  4. Luc Favre
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  5. Isabelle Berbezier
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Contributions

The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows: MA and IB contributed to study conception and design and draft manuscript preparation; MA, SAA, IOA, and LF and IB contributed to data collection and analysis and interpretation of the results. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mansour Aouassa.

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Aouassa, M., Algarni, S.A., Althobaiti, I.O. et al. High-sensitive MIS structures with silicon nanocrystals grown via solid-state dewetting of silicon-on-insulator for solar cell and photodetector applications. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 33, 19376–19384 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-08774-w

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