Silver nanowires assisted porous silicon for high photodetector sensitivity using surface plasmonic phenomena

In this study, high purity, ultra-thin silver nanowires (AgNWs) were synthesized by utilizing a modified polyol technique in order to design an inexpensive, extremely sensitive, porous silicon (PSi) substrate photodetector. NaCl and KBr were introduced to the process during the creation of AgNWs in order to regulate the concentration of free Ag⁺ ions. According to the findings of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), AgNWs may be produced with an average diameter and length of about 23 nm and 29 µm, respectively. Results from energy dispersive spectroscopy and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy show that AgNWs develop in a very pure phase. The coating of five layers of AgNWs thin film over a PSi substrate enabled us to examine the effect of the material's density on the photo-detector characteristics. The findings indicate that the PSi had the greatest photo-to-dark current ratio of 12.11 when coated with four layers of AgNWs/PSi. These findings suggest that high-performance one-dimensional photodetectors may be made using AgNWs. These findings suggest that high-performance one-dimensional photodetectors may be made using AgNWs. The work shows how to combine the better light collecting abilities of PSi with AgNWs' plasmonic absorption for increased sensitivity and spectral-selective photodetection driven on by the effects of local surface plasmon resonance.