Low-temperature deposition of 2D SnS nanoflakes on PET substrates for flexible photodetectors with broadband response

Abstract

Flexible photodetectors based on two-dimensional (2D) materials hold the promise to open up an unprecedented era for wearable optoelectronic systems. However, there is a major challenge of the inability to directly deposit 2D materials on polymeric substrates due to their high growth temperature. Here, we demonstrate a novel low-cost method to directly fabricate SnS nanoflakes on the poly-ethylene terephthalate substrates. Moreover, the flexible photodetectors based on SnS nanoflakes feature broadband spectral responses from 355 nm to 1550 nm. The responsivity and detectivity can approach up to 1.28 × 103 A W−1 and 3.02 × 1011 Jones, respectively, under the ultraviolet laser of 355 nm. The devices also exhibit excellent NIR photodetection with a specific responsivity of 69 A W−1 towards the 1550 nm regime. Our research represents an important step toward scalable fabrication of the SnS nanoflakes and this method may pave a path for the future commercialization of flexible broadband optoelectronic devices.