Pomegranate derivative dye/silicon hybrid photodiode for sensor applications

Here, we describe the use of pomegranate peel (PG) biomolecules as a light sensor. For this purpose, PG/n-Si hybrid photodiode was fabricated by coating PG biomolecule on the Si with spin coating method. The density functional theory (DFT) approach was utilized to optimize the geometry of the PG molecules. In the I-V mea-surements performed in the dark and under the visible light, it was observed that the device exhibited photo -diode characteristics. Namely, it was seen that the photo-generated current was extremely larger than the dark current for the reverse current and thus the I-V measurements were performed by expanding it under different light intensity. The open-circuit voltage, the short circuit current, and the on/off ratio of the hybrid photodiode were determined as a function of light intensity. Furthermore, Current-voltage (I-V) and Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements of the device were analyzed in detail for dark conditions. The ideality factor, the barrier height, the Fermi level, the diffusion potential, and the series resistance of the PG/n-Si hybrid device were determined.