Zero-bias photo-induced charge separation using built-in electric field at p-NiO/n-Ga2O3 heterojunction interface

As a viable alternative to the challenging fabrication of robust β-Ga2O3 p–n homojunctions, this study investigates the variable-temperature photocurrent of p-NiO/n-Ga2O3 heterojunction photodiodes under zero-bias conditions. The device's built-in electric field is utilized to achieve efficient separation of non-equilibrium photogenerated carriers. To support the experimental findings, computer simulations of the electric field distribution at the heterointerface were performed and correlated with experimental current–voltage and capacitance–voltage measurements. The photocurrent measurements confirm the narrowing of the n-Ga2O3 bandgap with increasing temperature, consistent with predictions from the Varshni equation. The observed decrease in photocurrent amplitude at lower temperatures is attributed to bandgap widening, which results in a smaller number of non-equilibrium carriers generated by the excitation wavelength.