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arXiv · 2602.04426

ZnCdO:Eu Epitaxially Grown Alloys for Self-Powered Ultrafast Broadband Photodetection

Igor Perlikowski·Eunika Zielony·Aleksandra Wierzbicka·Anastasiia Lysak·Rafal Jakiela·Ewa Przezdziecka
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Abstract

Photodetectors (PDs) are essential in imaging, communication, and sensing technologies. However, their reliance on external power makes them energy-consuming. This creates a strong need for self-powered PDs as a sustainable alternative. ZnO is a promising semiconductor material due to its pyroelectric properties, stemming from non-centrosymmetric wurtzite crystal structure, enabling the pyro-phototronic effect that enhances response speed. Properties of ZnO can be tailored via alloying and doping. Thus, this work explores thin layers of ZnCdO:Eu random alloys grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on silicon substrates, with varying Cd content. The study shows that doping with Eu notably affects growth kinetics, promoting strong [0001] orientation preference. Moreover, photoluminescence measurements confirm the successful incorporation of Eu3+ ions into the structure. Electrical measurements show that the introduction of Cd eliminates the problem of Schottky barrier formation on the ZnO/Si interface. The n-ZnCdO:Eu/p-Si junctions exhibit rectifying behavior and generate photocurrent across 380-1150 nm wavelength range without external electrical bias. Utilizing the pyro-phototronic effect, these devices achieved ultrafast response times: rise time below 10 us and decay time below 5 us for 405 nm and 650 nm illumination - placing them among the fastest self-powered oxide-based detectors that do not rely on additional performance-enhancing layers.

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BibTeXRIS

Igor Perlikowski, Eunika Zielony, Aleksandra Wierzbicka, Anastasiia Lysak, Rafal Jakiela, Ewa Przezdziecka. 2026-02-04. ZnCdO:Eu Epitaxially Grown Alloys for Self-Powered Ultrafast Broadband Photodetection. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6c01143

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