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Superior photosensing performance by Ag nanoparticles textured Al2O3 thin film based device

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Abstract

This report discusses about the improvement in photosensing characteristics of a silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NP) textured aluminum oxide (Al2O3) thin film (TF) device by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique. This device has been synthesized on n-Si substrates using an electron beam (e-beam) evaporation technique. The samples were then morphologically and crystallographically characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The Ag NP/Al2O3 TF-based device has a two fold improvement in photocurrent compared to the bare Al2O3 TF device owing to the generation of the interfacial trap states. The Ag NP/Al2O3 TF-based device also possessed 3.1 fold enhancement in photosensitivity, improved barrier height (0.80 eV), detectivity (3.7 × 107 jones), and noise equivalent power (NEP: 2.17 × 10−9 W). The Ag NP/Al2O3 TF device has faster photosensing performances (Tr = 0.25 s and Tf = 0.25 s) than the bare Al2O3 TF device (Tr = 0.60 s and Tf = 0.58 s). Therefore, the improved parameters will ensure that the Ag NP/Al2O3 TF device can be used as a fast-switching efficient photosensor.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledged NIT Agartala, India for all the assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, National Institute of Technology Agartala, Agartala, Tripura, 799046, India

    Abhijit Das, Amitabha Nath & Mitra Barun Sarkar

  2. Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560012, India

    Amitabha Nath

  3. Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal, Telangana, 506004, India

    Shuvam Pawar

  4. Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, National Institute of Technology Nagaland, Dimapur, Nagaland, 797103, India

    Naorem Khelchand Singh

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Contributions

Abhijit Das: methodology, device fabrication, measurements, data collection, data analysis, writing—original draft.

Amitabha Nath: device fabrication, data analysis and writing—original draft, review and editing.

Shuvam Pawar: characterizations and data analysis.

Naorem Khelchand Singh: data collection and validation.

Mitra Barun Sarkar: conceptualization, validation, editing and supervision.

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Correspondence to Mitra Barun Sarkar.

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Das, A., Nath, A., Pawar, S. et al. Superior photosensing performance by Ag nanoparticles textured Al2O3 thin film based device. J Nanopart Res 25, 88 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-023-05740-3

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