Photocurrent of undoped, n- and p-type Si nanowires synthesized by thermal chemical vapor deposition

Photocurrent of undoped, n- and p-type Si nanowires synthesized by thermal chemical vapor deposition is investigated in this study. For an undoped Si nanowire biased at 3 V, photocurrent excited by the 633-nm wavelength light is stronger in intensity than that excited by the 325-nm wavelength light, and photoresponses are rapid when the light is switched on and off. In contrast, for the n- and p-type Si nanowires, photocurrent excited by the 633-nm wavelength light is not measurable, although one excited by 325-nm wavelength light is still detectable. And photoresponses obtained for the doped Si nanowires are slower, compared with the undoped Si nanowire. Photocurrent phenomena observed in the undoped, n- and p-type Si nanowires are discussed in this paper.