Optoelectronic characteristics of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles/porous silicon heterojunction fabricated by drop casting method

In this work, nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) nanoparticles and a porous silicon (PSi) layer were prepared to fabricate NiFe₂O₄ NPs/PSi heterojunctions. The NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were embedded within the pores of the PSi layer and effectively decorating the surface. The electrical characteristics of the fabricated photodetector showed that the heterojunction of 177 nm NiFe₂O₄ layer exhibits higher photocurrent than the heterojunction of 355 nm layer thickness. The optoelectronic characteristics showed that the photodetector fabricated with 355 nm NiFe₂O₄ layer is better than that with 177 nm layer thickness. The optimum photodetector showed a responsivity of 2.954 A/W, an external quantum efficiency of 8.141, and a detectivity of 47.498 × 10¹⁰ Jones. The response of the fabricated photodetectors was evaluated as a function of time and found dependent on the thickness of the NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles layer as the device fabricated with smaller thickness showed faster response.