Broadband optoelectronic properties of p-CuCrO2/n-Si Heterojunction prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition

A broadband spectral response from ultraviolet to infrared photon energies is reported in p-CuCrO
2
/n-Si heterojunction prepared through Pulse Laser Deposition (PLD) technique. The device is fabricated at high oxygen pressure (7 ×10
^-1
mbar) by employing a Q-switched Nd: YAG Laser using p-type polycrystalline metastable 2H-Copper Chromium Oxide (CuCrO
2
) pellet and monocrystalline n-type Silicon wafer. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the hexagonal phase of CuCrO
2
on Si substrate. The low value of crystalline strain (0.14%) suggests the relaxed and stable formation of CuCrO
2
layer. Atomic Force Microscopy data shows a uniform and crack-free nature of the heterojunction. The optical band gap of CuCrO
2
layer is found to be 3.23eV via UV spectroscopy. The I-V characteristics of heterojunction under various spectral photon energies are performed and analyzed. Optoelectronic parameters such as photocurrent, responsivity, detectivity, and Noise Equivalent Power are examined for advanced optoelectronic applications including broadband photodetector.