Photocarrier injection and the I-V characteristics of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3/SrTiO3:Nb heterojunctions

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that La0.8Sr0.2MnO3/SrTiO3:Nb heterojunctions act as efficient UV photodiodes, with enhanced photoresponse in a p-i-n configuration, through fabrication and characterization under UV light.

Contribution

It introduces a novel oxide heterojunction device with improved UV photodiode performance using pulsed laser deposition.

Findings

Heterojunctions function as efficient UV photodiodes.

Surface hole density and quantum efficiency are significantly improved in p-i-n structures.

Maximum quantum efficiency reaches 27% at room temperature.

Abstract

Oxide heterojunctions made of p-type L0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSMO) and niobium-doped n-type SrTiO3 (STO:Nb) have been fabricated by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique and are characterized under UV light irradiation by measuring the current-voltage, photovoltaic properties and the junction capacitance. It is shown that the heterojunctions work as an efficient UV photodiode, in which photogenerated holes in the STO:Nb substrate are injected to the LSMO film. The maximum surface hole density Q/e and external quantum efficiency gamma are estimated to be 8.3x1012 cm-2 and 11 % at room temperature, respectively. They are improved significantly in a p-i-n junction of LSMO/STO/STO:Nb, where Q/e and gamma are 3.0x1013 cm-2 and 27 %, respectively.