Fabrication and characterization of n-type aluminum-boron co-doped ZnO on p-type silicon (n-AZB/p-Si) heterojunction diodes

•n-AZB/p-Si heterojunction diodes were formed.•n-AZB/p-Si diode annealed at 700 °C showed best rectifying behavior.•Zn2SiO4 was formed at 800 °C.•n and ϕb were estimated to be 1.63 and 0.4 eV, respectively, at 700 °C.•Tailoring of BG was attributed to annealing induced stresses in the films.

In this paper, the growth of n-type aluminum boron co-doped ZnO (n-AZB) on a p-type silicon (p-Si) substrate by sol–gel method using spin coating technique is reported. The n-AZB/p-Si heterojunctions were annealed at different temperatures ranging from 400 to 800 °C. The crystallite size of the AZB nanostructures was found to vary from 28 to 38 nm with the variation in annealing temperature. The band gap of the AZB decreased from 3.29 to 3.27 eV, with increasing annealing temperature from 400 to 700 °C and increased to 3.30 eV at 800 °C probably due to the formation of Zn2SiO4 at the interface. The band gap variation is explained in terms of annealing induced stress in the AZB. The n-AZB/p-Si heterojunction exhibited diode behavior. The best rectifying behavior was exhibited at 700 °C.

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