Plasmon-enhanced photodetectors fabricated using digital inkjet-printing on chemically nanopatterned silicon wafers

In this study, we have fabricated and characterized three different configurations of photodetectors with digital inkjet printing techniques on different types of silicon substrates, such as pristine n-type silicon and chemically nanostructured n-type silicon, with and without Ag nanoparticle-induced surface-plasmon enhancement. Among these three comparison batches, digitally printed devices on chemically nanostructured n-type silicon with Ag nanoparticle-induced enhancement yield the highest photocurrent enhancement factor of 920×, the lowest rise and decay times of τr = 176 ms and τd = 98 ms, respectively, and the highest responsivity of 24.8 mA W−1 at wavelengths ranging from 380 to 700 nm. Most importantly, we demonstrate that these devices are highly stable after fabrication, losing less than 3% of their efficiency over 60 days under ambient conditions. We firmly believe that this simple device architecture and effective digital fabrication process are most promising for the realization of efficient, stable, and low-cost photodetectors fabricated at large scales.