In this work, the photodetection performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers and its composite with yttrium oxide (Y2O3) at different concentrations (2.5, 5, 10) wt% are examined deposited on p-type Si with (111) orientation. Electrospinning technique was used to create nanofiber composites. Adding Y2O3 significantly impacts the PVA nanofibers where ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy optical absorption energy gap decreases with increased concentration (2.8, 2.6, and 2.3) eV. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate crystal structure, which is cubic structure. The chemical composition study was conducted using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra, which revealed the stretching vibrations related to the Y-O bond. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images of the composite nanofibers proved a uniform fiber distribution with nano-size diameter. Photo sensors based on PVA/Y2O3 nanofibers illustrate fast response and recovery times because of their square pulse nature. Also, sensitivity, responsivity, quantum efficiency, detectivity, and specific detectivity were calculated.
