Silicon Nanowire-Based Metal-Semiconductor-Metal (MSM) Device for Photodetection Applications

This study investigates the fabrication of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) through the n-type silicon using the metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) technique for photodetection applications. The synthesized SiNWs underwent comprehensive material characterization using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These analyses confirmed the uniformity and purity of the nanowires. Electrical measurements, specifically I-V characteristics, were conducted to evaluate the conductivity, carrier mobility, and electronic properties of the SiNWs. A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) device has been fabricated incorporating these SiNWs and shows the high current density with 1- 5 mu A current at +/- 5 V. Moreover, the device shows a good photoresponse with enhanced photocurrent 7.5 and 6.1 mu A at +5 and -5 V, respectively, under 650 W/m(2) optical illumination. Furthermore, the MSM device demonstrates a very prompt risetime ( T-Rise ) of 1.25 s and a falltime ( T-Fall ) of 2.7 s under 650 W/m(2) illuminations. The results underscore the potential of MACE-grown SiNWs in developing high-performance photodetectors, emphasizing their suitability for integration into advanced optoelectronic devices. These findings highlight the promising capabilities of SiNWs in photodetection, paving the way for their application in next-generation optoelectronic technologies.