Influence of the contact geometry on single-walled carbon nanotube/Si photodetector response

A systematic study of the optical response of photodetectors based on carbon nanotube/Si heterojunctions is performed by measuring the responsivity, the detectivity and the time response of the devices with different contact configurations. The sensors are obtained by dry transferring single-walled carbon nanotube films on the surface of n-doped Si substrate provided with a multifinger contact geometry. The experimental data show a consistent improvement of the photodetector parameters with the increase of the number of fingers without affecting the carbon nanotube film thickness for increase its optical transmittance as in previous experiments. The role of the electrical resistance of the carbon nanotube film is discussed. The obtained results confirm the method and suggest new perspectives in the use of nanostructured materials as part of semiconducting optical devices.