GRAPHENE-DERIVED BROADBAND PHOTODETECTORS FOR Si-COMPATIBLE OPTICAL SENSING APPLICATIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55766/sujst9839Keywords:
Broadband photodetector, Reduced graphene oxide, Responsivity, Optical sensing, OptoelectronicAbstract
Graphene and its derivatives, particularly reduced graphene oxide (rGO), have attracted significant attention for broadband photodetection owing to their unique optoelectronic properties, solution processability, and compatibility with silicon (Si) platforms. The current paper reports the fabrication and characterization of rGO-based photodetectors designed for Si-compatible optical sensing applications. rGO was synthesized using a modified Hummers’ method and characterized via Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to confirm its structural integrity, reduction level, surface morphology, and thermal stability. The photodetectors exhibited a broad spectral response from the visible to near-infrared (NIR) region, with responsivity strongly dependent on the rGO layer thickness and applied bias voltage. The optimized devices demonstrated a peak responsivity of 0.5 A/W at 650 nm under a 5 V bias for a 3 μL rGO layer, with fast switching characteristics and reasonable stability. Lower concentrations (1-2 μL) exhibited reduced dark current and enhanced reliability, thus achieving a responsivity of up to 0.2 A/W. These devices function efficiently at low optical power levels (~30 μW) and low voltages, making them suitable for integration into energy-constrained environments and CMOS-based systems. The proposed rGO-based photodetectors offer a cost-effective and scalable solution for broadband low-power optical sensing, highlighting their potential in biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and silicon photonic circuits.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Pawan Kumar Inaniya, Ravi Kumar Maddila, Rekha Mehra, Santosh Kumar
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