Numerical evaluations of curcumin organic molecule and an experimental study on hybrid photodetector performance in visible and UV regions

In this work, we demonstrate efficient self-powered visible and UV photodetectors with hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on organic curcumin pigment (CU), having C21H20O6 as a molecular formula, and inorganic silicon semiconductor in CU/n-Si architecture. The optical absorption spectrum of the CU film is investigated by UV-Visible absorption features with a broad emission band. The self-powered behavior of the CU/n-Si photo-detector has been attributed to the built-in electric field formed between the CU and n-Si heterojunction inter-face. The optical performance of the hybrid photodetector, both under different light intensities of visible light and under 365 and 395 nm UV light, is investigated in detail by current-voltage measurements. CU/n-Si heterojunction photodetector exhibits excellent UV detecting capability and good photoresponsivity. The photo-response of the CU/n-Si device is slightly higher under 395 nm UV light than 365 nm one. The R and D* values obtained at 395 nm are 13.19 AW-1(at-2 V) and 1.22 x 1011 Jones (zero bias), respectively. Furthermore, under 365 and 395 nm light, the ON/OFF values are obtained as about 105. According to the simulated result, the curcumin molecule has great physical properties such as antibacterial activity and nonlinear optical response which makes it a potential candidate for biomedical and optoelectronic applications.