Effect of the incorporation of gold nanoparticles on the current‒voltage characteristics of Ag/Si diodes in the dark and under light

The use of nanoparticles in electronic devices has become common practice for controlling and improving device performance. In this research, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were introduced into silver‒silicon (Ag/Si) Schottky diodes to investigate their impact on the current voltage (I‒V) behavior in both the dark and light surroundings. Spin coating was used to deposit a film of AuNPs on the Si substrate, followed by thermal evaporation of Ag metal to create the concluding Ag/AuNP/Si diode. Study of the I‒V curves revealed a reduction in the barrier height after the addition of AuNPs in both the dark and illuminated settings. Furthermore, the presence of AuNPs led to a decrease in both the series (Rs) and shunt (Rsh) resistances when the diode was exposed to light, indicating an improvement in the photosensitivity of the Ag/Si structures. This enhancement was attributed to the ability of AuNPs to increase light absorption through local interface plasmon excitations, resulting from the shared oscillation of free electrons on metallic surfaces