Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, cilt.408, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
In this study, photonic sensor-based Al/(AgZnO:rGO(5%)-PVA)/n-Si/Al structures were fabricated and characterized through comprehensive electrical/optoelectronic measurements. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics were investigated in dark and under various illumination-intensities (20–100 mW/cm2), while capacitance/conductance-voltage (C-V, G/ω-V) measurements were performed at 1 MHz and spanning −2.5 V to + 4.5 V. The fabricated-device exhibited pronounced rectifying-ratio (RR=Ifor./Irev.) exceeding four-orders of magnitude. Key electrical-parameters extracted included ideality-factors of 6.573–7.983 (Region-I) and 13.671–15.451 (Region-II), barrier heights (BHs) of 0.676–0.646 eV (I-V) and 1.124 eV (C-V), doping donor-concentration of 5.08 × 1017cm−3, and depletion-width (Wd) of 159 nm. Barrier-height decreased linearly with light (ΦB0=-2.95 ×10−4P+0.675 eV), yielding an illumination-coefficient (-2.95 ×10−4eV/(mW/cm2)) approaching silicon's temperature-coefficient (-4.73 ×10−4eV/K). Photovoltaic parameters under 100 mW/cm2 included a fill factor (FF) of 58% and an efficiency (τ) of 1.11%. Photocurrent exhibited supralinear power-law dependence (exponents 1.3054 at -2V, 1.2032 at 0 V), indicating interface-trap emptying and space-charge-region generation-recombination (GR) mechanisms. Series-resistance (Rs) decreased from 12.40Ω to 10.61Ω under illumination, while shunt-resistance (Rsh) dropped from 96.2kΩ to 0.491kΩ. Interface-state densities (Nss) of 1012-1013 eV−1cm−2 accounted for elevated ideality factors. The composite interlayer, combining reduced graphene oxide (rGO) percolation pathways with AgZnO plasmonic enhancement, demonstrated a substantial bidirectional photo-response, establishing this architecture as promising for PS applications that are superior to conventional metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures.