A self-powered and broadband UV PIN photodiode employing a NiOx layer and a β-Ga2O3 heterojunction

Jose Manuel Taboada Vasquez; Aasim Ashai; Yi Lu; Vishal Khandelwal; Manoj Rajbhar; Mritunjay Kumar; Xiaohang Li; Biplab Sarkar

doi:10.1088/1361-6463/acaed7

A self-powered and broadband UV PIN photodiode employing a NiOx layer and a β-Ga₂O₃ heterojunction

Jose Manuel Taboada Vasquez, Aasim Ashai, Yi Lu, Vishal Khandelwal, Manoj Rajbhar, Mritunjay Kumar, Xiaohang Li^*, Biplab Sarkar^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Crucial commercial and space applications require the detection of broadband ultraviolet (UV) rays spanning from UV-A to UV-C. In this study, the authors demonstrate a broadband UV photodetector employing a p-type NiO_x layer and an n-type β-Ga₂O₃ heterostructure in PIN configuration for the first time. Simulations are conducted to optimize the doping concentration and thickness of the NiO_x layer, ensuring that (a) a reasonable depletion width is maintained within the NiO_x layer for UV-A and UV-B light absorption; (b) anode ohmic contacts are formed on the nondepleted NiOx film, and (c) >70% of the UV-C light is absorbed by β-Ga₂O₃. The optimized NiO_x/β-Ga₂O₃ PIN photodiode exhibits good responsivity to incident light wavelengths in the UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C regions. While the NiO_x layer is considered to be responsible for providing good photoresponsivity in the UV-A and UV-B regions, a highly resistive (near-intrinsic) β-Ga₂O₃ layer is required for the absorption of incident UV-C light. A record detectivity of >10¹¹ cm Hz^0.5 W⁻¹ for the UV-B and UV-C regions and >10¹⁰ cm Hz^0.5 W⁻¹ for the UV-A region is observed in the NiO_x/β-Ga₂O₃ heterostructure PIN photodiode during the self-powered operation. The results presented in this study are promising and instigate device design strategies for (ultra)wide bandgap semiconductor-based broadband UV PIN photodetectors.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	065104
Journal	Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
Volume	56
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/acaed7
State	Published - Feb 9 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The KAUST researchers are grateful for the funding support of Baseline Fund: BAS/1/1664-01-01, Near-term Grand Challenge Fund: REI/1/4999-01-01, and Impact Acceleration Fund: REI/1/5124-01-01.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Keywords

broadband photodetector
detectivity
PIN photodiode
TCAD
β-GaO

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Condensed Matter Physics
Acoustics and Ultrasonics
Surfaces, Coatings and Films

Access to Document

10.1088/1361-6463/acaed7

Cite this

@article{46ddd7c7f7114f48bfc300827a34b2a0,

title = "A self-powered and broadband UV PIN photodiode employing a NiOx layer and a β-Ga2O3 heterojunction",

abstract = "Crucial commercial and space applications require the detection of broadband ultraviolet (UV) rays spanning from UV-A to UV-C. In this study, the authors demonstrate a broadband UV photodetector employing a p-type NiOx layer and an n-type β-Ga2O3 heterostructure in PIN configuration for the first time. Simulations are conducted to optimize the doping concentration and thickness of the NiOx layer, ensuring that (a) a reasonable depletion width is maintained within the NiOx layer for UV-A and UV-B light absorption; (b) anode ohmic contacts are formed on the nondepleted NiOx film, and (c) >70% of the UV-C light is absorbed by β-Ga2O3. The optimized NiOx/β-Ga2O3 PIN photodiode exhibits good responsivity to incident light wavelengths in the UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C regions. While the NiOx layer is considered to be responsible for providing good photoresponsivity in the UV-A and UV-B regions, a highly resistive (near-intrinsic) β-Ga2O3 layer is required for the absorption of incident UV-C light. A record detectivity of >1011 cm Hz0.5 W−1 for the UV-B and UV-C regions and >1010 cm Hz0.5 W−1 for the UV-A region is observed in the NiOx/β-Ga2O3 heterostructure PIN photodiode during the self-powered operation. The results presented in this study are promising and instigate device design strategies for (ultra)wide bandgap semiconductor-based broadband UV PIN photodetectors.",

keywords = "broadband photodetector, detectivity, PIN photodiode, TCAD, β-GaO",

author = "Vasquez, {Jose Manuel Taboada} and Aasim Ashai and Yi Lu and Vishal Khandelwal and Manoj Rajbhar and Mritunjay Kumar and Xiaohang Li and Biplab Sarkar",

note = "Funding Information: The KAUST researchers are grateful for the funding support of Baseline Fund: BAS/1/1664-01-01, Near-term Grand Challenge Fund: REI/1/4999-01-01, and Impact Acceleration Fund: REI/1/5124-01-01. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.",

year = "2023",

month = feb,

day = "9",

doi = "10.1088/1361-6463/acaed7",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "56",

journal = "Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics",

issn = "0022-3727",

publisher = "IOP Publishing",

number = "6",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A self-powered and broadband UV PIN photodiode employing a NiOx layer and a β-Ga2O3 heterojunction

AU - Vasquez, Jose Manuel Taboada

AU - Ashai, Aasim

AU - Lu, Yi

AU - Khandelwal, Vishal

AU - Rajbhar, Manoj

AU - Kumar, Mritunjay

AU - Li, Xiaohang

AU - Sarkar, Biplab

N1 - Funding Information: The KAUST researchers are grateful for the funding support of Baseline Fund: BAS/1/1664-01-01, Near-term Grand Challenge Fund: REI/1/4999-01-01, and Impact Acceleration Fund: REI/1/5124-01-01. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

PY - 2023/2/9

Y1 - 2023/2/9

N2 - Crucial commercial and space applications require the detection of broadband ultraviolet (UV) rays spanning from UV-A to UV-C. In this study, the authors demonstrate a broadband UV photodetector employing a p-type NiOx layer and an n-type β-Ga2O3 heterostructure in PIN configuration for the first time. Simulations are conducted to optimize the doping concentration and thickness of the NiOx layer, ensuring that (a) a reasonable depletion width is maintained within the NiOx layer for UV-A and UV-B light absorption; (b) anode ohmic contacts are formed on the nondepleted NiOx film, and (c) >70% of the UV-C light is absorbed by β-Ga2O3. The optimized NiOx/β-Ga2O3 PIN photodiode exhibits good responsivity to incident light wavelengths in the UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C regions. While the NiOx layer is considered to be responsible for providing good photoresponsivity in the UV-A and UV-B regions, a highly resistive (near-intrinsic) β-Ga2O3 layer is required for the absorption of incident UV-C light. A record detectivity of >1011 cm Hz0.5 W−1 for the UV-B and UV-C regions and >1010 cm Hz0.5 W−1 for the UV-A region is observed in the NiOx/β-Ga2O3 heterostructure PIN photodiode during the self-powered operation. The results presented in this study are promising and instigate device design strategies for (ultra)wide bandgap semiconductor-based broadband UV PIN photodetectors.

AB - Crucial commercial and space applications require the detection of broadband ultraviolet (UV) rays spanning from UV-A to UV-C. In this study, the authors demonstrate a broadband UV photodetector employing a p-type NiOx layer and an n-type β-Ga2O3 heterostructure in PIN configuration for the first time. Simulations are conducted to optimize the doping concentration and thickness of the NiOx layer, ensuring that (a) a reasonable depletion width is maintained within the NiOx layer for UV-A and UV-B light absorption; (b) anode ohmic contacts are formed on the nondepleted NiOx film, and (c) >70% of the UV-C light is absorbed by β-Ga2O3. The optimized NiOx/β-Ga2O3 PIN photodiode exhibits good responsivity to incident light wavelengths in the UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C regions. While the NiOx layer is considered to be responsible for providing good photoresponsivity in the UV-A and UV-B regions, a highly resistive (near-intrinsic) β-Ga2O3 layer is required for the absorption of incident UV-C light. A record detectivity of >1011 cm Hz0.5 W−1 for the UV-B and UV-C regions and >1010 cm Hz0.5 W−1 for the UV-A region is observed in the NiOx/β-Ga2O3 heterostructure PIN photodiode during the self-powered operation. The results presented in this study are promising and instigate device design strategies for (ultra)wide bandgap semiconductor-based broadband UV PIN photodetectors.

KW - broadband photodetector

KW - detectivity

KW - PIN photodiode

KW - TCAD

KW - β-GaO

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146900885&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1088/1361-6463/acaed7

DO - 10.1088/1361-6463/acaed7

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85146900885

SN - 0022-3727

VL - 56

JO - Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics

JF - Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics

IS - 6

M1 - 065104

ER -