Relation Between Defect State and Negative Ultra-Violet Photoresponse from n-ZnO/p-Si Heterojunction Diode

The negative photoconductivity was frequently observed in some semiconductors. It was known that the origin of the negative photoresponse from ZnO is molecular chemisorption or the charging effect of nanoparticles in bulk matrix. However, the origin of the negative photoresponse of thin film was not still clear. One of possible explanation is due to the deep level trap scheme, which describes the origin of the negative photoresponse via defect state under illumination of light. However, the defect states below Fermi level have high capture rate by Coulomb effect, so that these states are usually filled by electrons if the defect states have donor-like character. Therefore the condition which the defect states located in below Fermi level should be partially filled by electrons make more difficult to understand of mechanism of the negative photoresponse. In this study, n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diodes were fabricated by UHV RF magnetron sputter. Then, some diodes show the negative photoresponse under ultra-violet light illumination. The defect state of the ZnO was analyzed by photoluminescence and deep level transient spectroscopy. To interpret the negative photoconductivity, band diagram was simulated by using SCAPS program.