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Responsivity and photo-transient response of Tb/Al/p-Si heterostructure solar detectors

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Abstract

This work aims to investigate the design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel photodetector for light-sensing applications. The photodetector is based on Tb/Al/Cr/p-Si heterostructure and was integrated using the E-beam evaporation fabrication technique. The performance of the photodetector was evaluated through various experiments, including I–V characteristics, responsivity, and photo-transient time analysis. The I–V characteristics were measured under dark and different irradiance levels. The experimental results showed that the structure has a good and fast response to the light confirming its photodiode behavior where the photocurrent increases with increasing illumination intensity due to the formation of electron–hole pairs. The electrical parameters were explained according to the thermionic emission (TE) theory. Moreover, Cheung and Nord’s methods were used to determine the diode electronic parameters such as ideality factor (n), barrier height (Φ0), and series resistance (Rs). The photo-transient characteristics of the heterostructure diode carried out under irradiance of about 1000 W/m2 have shown a fast response to light. The uncertainty budget for the I–V curves was estimated and tabulated.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to The Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) in cooperation with the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) for their funding for open access.

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  1. Photometry and Radiometry Division, National Institute of Standards (NIS), Tersa St, Al-Haram, Giza, 12211, Egypt

    A. E. H. Gaballah & Abdallah Karmalawi

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Gaballah, A.E.H., Karmalawi, A. Responsivity and photo-transient response of Tb/Al/p-Si heterostructure solar detectors. J Opt (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12596-023-01511-4

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