Construction of high-quality CdS:Ga nanoribbon/silicon heterojunctions and their nano-optoelectronic applications.

Silicon based optoelectronic integration is restricted by its poor optoelectronic properties arising from the indirect band structure. Here, by combining silicon with another promising optoelectronic material, the CdS nanoribbon (NR), devices with heterojunction structure were constructed. The CdS NRs were also doped with gallium to improve their n-type conductivity. A host of nano-optoelectronic devices, including light emitting diodes, photovoltaic devices, and photodetectors, were successfully constructed on the basis of the CdS:Ga NR/Si heterojunctions. They all exhibited excellent device performances as regards high stability, high efficiency, and fast response speed. It is expected that the CdS NR/Si heterojunctions will have great potential for future applications of Si based optoelectronic integration.