Influence of Gold Nanoparticle Distribution on the Performance of Self-Powered Silicon Carbide Ultraviolet Photodetector

This study presents a systematic investigation into the influence of gold nanoparticles on the performance of a self-powered metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) 4H-SiC UV photodetector (SiC-UVPD), with a focus on the nonsymmetric contact phenomenon arising from differences in the contact areas of the gold electrode pair under 254 nm UV light exposure. The self-powered SiC-UVPD device exhibited a very good sensitivity of 9.34 x 10 4 , great responsivity of 0.30 A/W, and excellent detectivity of 7.0 x 10 11 cm. Hz 1/2 .W -1 under 254 nm UV light without any external power. In fact, the specific detectivity of the self-powered SiC-UVPD improved by 70 % following the application of Au nanoparticles. Self-powered photodetectors are desirable devices for green energy applications due to their unique advantages such as smaller footprints and wireless operation.