Investigation of incorporating CeO2 seed layer for overgrowth of Green synthesized CeO2 nanostructures deposited on Si (111) substrate

This study introduced the approach of incorporating CeO2 seed layer for the subsequent growth of CeO2 nanostructures, which were biosynthesised using the extract of Pandanus amaryllifolius leaves as a stabilizing agent and deposited onto n-type Si(111) substrate. Findings revealed that regardless of presence or absence of MEA for the preparation of the CeO2 nanostructures, a lower leakage current density was demonstrated by Samples 1 and 2 possessing CeO2 seed layer, followed by Sample 3 without MEA and CeO2 seed layer, and Sample 4 with MEA but without CeO2 seed layer. The improvement in leakage current density for Samples 1, 2, and 3 could be associated with the acquisition of high oxygen composition as well as adequate oxygen vacancies to serve as electron traps during forward bias operation while a discrepancy took place for Sample 4 whereby the oxygen vacancies acted as hole traps that degraded the J–V characteristic. Detailed explanation was presented in this work.