Making A Copper-Oxide Photodetector From Scratch
Photodetectors are available in all kinds of constructions and supplies, with the Cu2O-based photodetector that [Mad Scientist Creations] demonstrates in a recent video being instance of a photodetector that may be created at house utilizing nothing however some copper and a warmth supply.
Of the 2 copper parts in a salt water cell, one component is heated to the purpose the place a copper oxide layer varieties, particularly Cu2O, which acts as a semiconductor and gives the photosensitive layer. Even a reasonably crude sensor created with an everyday fuel range produces sufficient of a present that it may be utilized in a easy gentle detection circuit.
Although copper-oxide photodetectors could seem quaint, they’re getting a whole lot of curiosity as they function a really slender bandgap at 1.2 eV. In a 2019 study by [Hyeon-Joo Song] et al. as revealed in Scientific Reports such a sensor is enhanced with an optimized grain construction that improves its efficiency, with a lot increased sensitivity and sooner response occasions.
As demonstrated by [Andrzej Kwiatkowski] et al. in a 2024 paper in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells these copper-oxide sensors can be used for fuel detectors, although they used superior fuel deposition to supply the skinny movies as an alternative of sticking a little bit of copper tape right into a pure fuel flame.
Even if DIY copper-oxide sensors aren’t fairly as thrilling as what one can do with entry to a well-equipped (semiconductor) lab, it’s nonetheless a reasonably accessible materials that lends itself for simple experimentation.
