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 CeO 2 seed layer for the subsequent growth of CeO 2 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 CeO 2 nanostructures, a lower leakage current density was demonstrated by Samples 1 and 2 possessing CeO 2 seed layer, followed by Sample 3 without MEA and CeO 2 seed layer, and Sample 4 with MEA but without CeO 2 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.