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High quantum efficiency ultraviolet photodetector based on graphene and truncated silicon nanocones

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Abstract

Ultraviolet photodetectors have a wide range of applications, covering optical analysis, environmental detection, and security solutions. While silicon is extensively used in photodetection, the performance of silicon-based photodetectors in the ultraviolet spectrum is poorer compared to that in the visible range due to limited absorption depth and high reflectivity. To enhance its ultraviolet sensing capabilities, a graphene/truncated silicon cones heterostructure-based photodetector is proposed to simultaneously increase the light-trapping effect and create ultra-shallow Schottky junctions. The design reduces the reflectivity to <12% in the ultraviolet (UV) range, less than 20% of the original value. The graphene/truncated silicon cone photodetectors can achieve responsivity and external quantum efficiency that exceed 0.32 A/W and 113% at a wavelength of 360 nm, respectively. By analyzing the experimental and simulation results, it is confirmed that the elevated performance is a consequence of the combined effects of light-trapping, shallow junction, and impact ionization. Our approach in combining graphene with nanostructured silicon shows promise in future large-scale CMOS integration and high-performance optoelectronic applications.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFA1204304), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U22A2076), Zhejiang Provincial Young Talents Program, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (Grant No. LDT23F04013F04), and China Scholarship Council (Grant No. 202106320210). We thank Dr. Yiwei SUN, Chenhao WANG, Dr. Lingfei LI, Dr. Wei LIU, Dr. Jianhang LV, and Dr. Hongwei GUO for their valuable discussions and assistance. The authors thank the support of the nanofabrication facility in ZJU-UIUC Institute as well as the Micro/Nano Fabrication Center of Zhejiang University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ZJU-UIUC Institute, Zhejiang University, International Campus, Haining, 314400, China

    Feng Tian, Shaoxiong Wu, Baoshi Qiao, Dong Pu, Cheng Chen, Huan Hu & Yang Xu

  2. College of Integrated Circuits, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Feng Tian, Shaoxiong Wu, Xinyu Liu, Dong Pu, Zongwen Li, Xiaoxue Cao, Srikrishna Chanakya Bodepudi, Muhammad Abid Anwar, Xiaochen Wang, Yuda Zhao, Bin Yu, Huan Hu & Yang Xu

  3. Cambridge Graphene Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FA, UK

    Feng Tian & Tawfique Hasan

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  1. Feng Tian
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  2. Shaoxiong Wu
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  3. Xinyu Liu
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  4. Baoshi Qiao
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  11. Xiaochen Wang
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  15. Huan Hu
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  16. Yang Xu
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tawfique Hasan, Huan Hu or Yang Xu.

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Supporting information Figures S1–S4 and Table S1. The supporting information is available online at info.scichina.com and link.springer.com. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

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Tian, F., Wu, S., Liu, X. et al. High quantum efficiency ultraviolet photodetector based on graphene and truncated silicon nanocones. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 68, 140405 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-024-4194-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-024-4194-9

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