A high sensitivity temperature coefficient of the Au/n-Si with (CdTe-PVA) structure based on capacitance/conductance-voltage (C/G-V) measurements in a wide range of temperature

•The fabricated Schottky device shows two discrete temperature dependencies.•The device is more sensitive to the lower temperatures.•One of the highest temperature sensitivities for low temperatures is achieved.•The variations of electrical properties confirm high-temperature sensitivity.•The dominant AC conduction is the hopping of the trapped electron between traps. This study focused on revealing the temperature-sensing performance and rudimental electrical-properties of the Au/(CdTe-PVA)/n-Si depending on the temperature via impedance-measurements. The temperature-sensitivity (S) for constant-capacitance drive mode shows two-distinct linear-regions corresponding to low/moderate temperatures. The highest S value was achieved as 15.5 mV/K at 0.60 nF value. Nicollian-Brews and Hill-Coleman methods were applied to determine series-resistance (RS) and density of surface-states (NSS) values. The low RS values and the proper magnitude of NSS demonstrate the high quality and performance of the Au/(CdTe-PVA)/n-Si. Additionally, the electrical parameters obtained from C-2-V plots show almost temperature-independent behavior at moderate temperature regions. The low activation-energy values (Ea) determined via Arrhenius-plot indicate hopping of the trapped electron from trap to trap or conduction band dominates the ac conduction. In conclusion, the variations of electrical-parameters and the high S value consolidate the usability of Au/(CdTe-PVA)/n-Si as a thermal sensor in the low-temperature regions.