High-Performance Visible-Light Photodetectors Based on CeO₂-Doped V₂O₅ Nanostructure: Optoelectronic Characterization

V₂O₅-doped CeO₂ nanocomposites show promise for photodetector applications due to their improved optoelectronic characteristics. Using pulsed laser deposition at 300 mJ (energy) and 300 pulses, a series of n-V 2 O 5 :CeO 2 /p-Si heterojunction visible light photodetectors was created as a function of the CeO₂ doping ratio (3, 6, and 9%). The structural properties of the prepared films, as represented by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, indicated that the films were polycrystalline in nature. They exhibited an orthorhombic crystal structure along the preferred 001 direction, with the presence of two peaks associated with the doped material, which increased in intensity as the doping ratio increased. The films also exhibited spherical like nanostructures across all of the prepared films. The prepared layers showed an optical energy gap of 2.45, 2.6, and 2.71 eV at doping ratios of 3, 6, and 9% of CeO 2 , respectively. The manufactured devices also showed a well-oriented figure of merit at a very low bias voltage (0.5 V) as a function of wavelength and doping ratios. In detail, the prepared detector at 9%, which is the optimal value for the obtained results, demonstrated a responsivity of 58 μA/mW as a function of wavelength, in addition to a D* of 24 × 10 18 Jones and an EQE of 120 % achieved at light monochromatic (LED-525 nm) and incident light 100 mW/cm², while this observation was found to deteriorate at lower/higher wavelengths. The results showed that the response and recovery times were 0.80 and 0.77 seconds, respectively. The obtained results indicate that cerium doping has a significant effect when added to vanadium oxide, and both are attractive materials for high-performance MSM photodetectors for industrial optoelectronic applications.