Commercial Photodetectors Research Articles

Visible-near infrared broadband photodetector enabled by a photolithography-defined plasmonic disk array

2D-material-based photodetectors enhanced by plasmonic nanostructures can support responsivity/detectivity several orders higher than commercial photodetectors, drawing extensive attention as promising candidates for the next-generation photodetectors. However, to boost the nanostructure-enhanced 2D photodetectors into real-world applications, crucial challenges lie in the design of broadband enhancing nanostructures and their scalable and position-controllable fabrication. Here, based on a broadband resonant plasmonic disk array fabricated by a scalable and position-controllable technique (direct writing photolithography), we present a visible-near infrared (405–1310 nm) 2D WS2 photodetector, whose detectivity is up to 3.9×1014 Jones, a value exceeding that of the previous plasmon-enhanced 2D photodetectors. The broadened spectral response range and the high detectivity originate from the hot electron injection, optical absorption enhancement, and strain effect supported by the plasmonic array. Furthermore, the designed plasmonic 2D photodetector supports self-powered photodetection, indicating promising potential in energy-free and portable optoelectronic systems. Our results demonstrate an effective method to construct high-performance broadband photodetectors, which can facilitate the development of 2D photodetectors in commercial applications.

High photodetector responsivity and weak light detection in Manganese doped lead-free Low dimensional perovskite

Photodetectors are optoelectronic devices commonly used in communication and sensing systems. Currently, commercial photodetectors using silicon and other inorganic semiconductors demonstrate high performance but are expensive, demand complex device manufacturing,...

High-Performance Perovskite Photodetectors with Suppressed Dark Current Density via Small Molecule in Antisolvent Strategy.

Dark current density, a critical parameter in perovskite photodetectors (PPDs), largely depends on the quality of the perovskite film. Herein, we introduce a new small molecule in antisolvent strategy to enhance perovskite film quality during the crystallization of Cs0.05(FA0.95MA0.05)0.95Pb(I0.95Br0.05)3. COTIC-4Cl, an N-type narrow bandgap nonfullerene small molecule with specific functional group, could strongly bind to the uncoordinated Pb2+ in the perovskite with assistance of antisolvent, enabling rapid supersaturation of perovskite solution and form dense structures under low-temperature annealing. This strategy leads to the decreased nonradiative recombination and improved carrier transport efficiency in COTIC-4Cl-modified perovskites. The PPDs based on COTIC-4Cl-modified films exhibit a broad spectral response from 300 to 815 nm, an exceptionally low dark current density of 2.17 × 10-11 A cm-2, and enhanced detectivities of 1.84 × 1014and 3.09 × 1012 Jones at 0 and -0.5 V bias, respectively. Improved responsivity and detectivity at 650-780 nm result from strong near-infrared light absorption by COTIC-4Cl. These optimized PPDs are comparable to commercial silicon photodetectors, promising significant advancements in cost-effective photodetector technology.

Converting a power transistor to an optical transducer as an alternative to a commercial photo-detector for the construction of a simple and low-cost photometer

Converting a power transistor to an optical transducer as an alternative to a commercial photo-detector for the construction of a simple and low-cost photometer

Bioinspired single-shot polarization photodetector based on four-directional grating arrays capped perovskite single-crystal thin film.

Polarization photodetectors (pol-PDs) have widespread applications in geological remote sensing, machine vision, biological medicine, and so on. However, commercial pol-PDs use bulky and complicated optical systems with lenses, polarizers, and mechanical spools, which are complex and cumbersome, and respond slowly. Inspired by the desert ants' compound eyes, we developed a single-shot pol-PD based on four-directional grating arrays capped perovskite single-crystal thin film without other standard polarization optics. Our pol-PD has a high detectivity, two orders of magnitude greater than that of commercial photodetectors, and exhibits high polarization sensitivity. The high performance of our pol-PD is due to the highly crystalline perovskite single-crystal thin film and regular nanograting structure, made by a nanoimprinting crystallization method. Our single-shot pol-PD is a compact on-chip optoelectronic device that demonstrates excellent performance in a wide range of applications including accurate bionic navigation, sharp image restoration in hazy scenes, stress visualization of polymers, and detection of cancerous areas in tissues without histological staining.

Ultra-Broad Emission Copper Halide Scintillator-Based X-Ray Imager.

Lead-free metal-halide scintillators are gaining considerable attention as more eco-friendly and superior alternatives to their lead-based counterparts. However, novel broad-emission band scintillators like the state-of-the-art CsI: Tl scintillator, which can generate high signals due to its strong compatibility with the spectral responsivity of regular photodiode arrays, are still less investigated. Herein, a TPA2Cu2I4 (TPACI) copper halide scintillator with a unique ultra-broad emission (FWHM > 240nm) is developed, which shows universal compatibility with the peak response range of commercial photodetector. The optical properties characterization and mechanism analysis indicates that this ultra-broad spectrum can be attributed to the dual self-trapped exciton (STE) emission consisting of two emission bands. Benefiting from the large Stokes shift and ultra-broad emission band enabled by the dual STE, the self-absorption-free TPACI scintillator exhibits efficient white light emission with a high photoluminescence quantum yields of 94.27%, a high light yield of ≈40124 photons MeV-1. Moreover, a prototype of a TPACI scintillator-based X-ray imager is assembled for inspecting the internal structures of biological and electronic devices, which demonstrated a high resolution of 5.5 lp mm-1 at modulation transfer function = 0.2. These findings provide insights into the design of efficient, broad-emission scintillators for high-resolution X-ray imaging.

Ultra-compact on-chip camera based on optoelectronic compound eyes with nonuniform ommatidia

Abstract Compound eyes (CEs) that feature ultra-compact structures and extraordinary versatility have revealed great potential for cutting-edge applications. However, the optoelectronic integration of CEs with available photodetectors is still challenging because the planar charge-coupled device (CCD)/complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) detector cannot match the spatially distributed images formed by CE ommatidia. To reach this end, we report here the optoelectronic integration of CEs by manufacturing 3D nonuniform ommatidia for developing an ultra-compact on-chip camera. As a proof-of-concept, we fabricated microscale CEs with uniform and nonuniform ommatidia through femtosecond laser two-photon photopolymerization, and compared their focusing/imaging performance both theoretically and experimentally. By engineering the surface profiles of the ommatidia at different positions of the CE, the images formed by all the ommatidia can be tuned on a plane. In this way, the nonuniform CE can be directly integrated with a commercial CMOS photodetector, forming an ultra-compact CE camera. Additionally, we further combine the CE camera with a microfluidic chip, which can further serve as an on-chip microscopic monitoring system. We anticipate that such an ultra-compact CE camera may find broad applications in microfluidics, robotics, and micro-optics.

Recent Advancements in Nanomaterials for Near‐Infrared to Long‐Wave Infrared Photodetectors

AbstractNanomaterials have superior electronic, optical, and mechanical properties making them highly suitable for a range of applications in optoelectronics, biomedical fields, and photonics. Nanomaterials‐based IR detectors are rapidly growing due to enhanced sensitivity, wide spectral range, and device miniaturization compared to commercial photodetectors. This review paper focuses on the significant role of nanomaterials in infrared detection, an area critical for enhancing night vision and health monitoring technologies. The latest advancements in IR photodetectors that employ various nanomaterials and their hybrids are discussed. The manuscript covers the operational mechanisms, device designing, performance optimization strategies, and material challenges. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current developments in nanomaterial‐based IR photodetectors and to identify key directions for future research and technological advancements.

Sensitive SWIR Organic Photodetectors with Spectral Response Reaching 1.5µm.

The performance of organic photodetectors (OPDs) sensitive to the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) light lags behind commercial indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) photodetectors primarily due to the scarcity of organic semiconductors with efficient photoelectric responses exceeding 1.3µm. Limited by the Energy-gap law, ultralow-bandgap organic semiconductors usually suffer from severe non-radiative transitions, resulting in low external quantum efficiency (EQE). Herein, a difluoro-substituted quinoid terminal group (QC-2F) with exceptionally strong electron-negativity is developed for constructing a new non-fullerene acceptor (NFA), Y-QC4F with an ultralow bandgap of 0.83eV. This subtle structural modification significantly enhances intermolecular packing order and density, enabling an absorption onset up to 1.5µm while suppressing non-radiation recombination in Y-QC4F films. SWIR OPDs based on Y-QC4F achieve an impressive detectivity (D*) over 1011 Jones from 0.4 to 1.5µm under 0V bias, with a maximum of 1.68 × 1012 Jones at 1.16µm. Furthermore, the resulting OPDs demonstrate competitive performance with commercial photodetectors for high-quality SWIR imaging even under 1.4µm irradiation.

A Case Study of 2D Bi2O2Se Nanoplate Near‐Infrared Photodetectors from the Perspective of Practical Applications

AbstractOver the past several decades infrared (IR) photodetectors have received wide attention due to their important applications. 2D materials, distinguished by their unique electronic structures, ultimate dimensional confinement, and robust light‐matter interactions, provide a promising candidate for fabricating future IR photodetectors. However, there is a lack of reports concerning the practical industrial applications of these 2D photodetectors, despite that some of these 2D photodetectors have demonstrated performance exceeding that of commercial photodetectors. In this work, a case study on 2D Bi2O2Se nanoplate near‐infrared photodetectors from the perspective of practical applications is presented. With the characterization method used for nano detectors, the 2D Bi2O2Se photodetector exhibits a responsivity of 212.5 A W−1, a specific detectivity of 4.99 × 1011 Jones and an external quantum efficiency of 26 887.68% at wavelength of 980 nm, while with the traditional characterization method the photodetector shows a responsivity of 0.13 A W−1 and a specific detectivity of 2.26 × 106 Jones and an external quantum efficiency of 17.87% at wavelength of 900 nm. The Bi2O2Se nanoplate photodetector also presents good passive imaging quality in the near‐infrared wavelength region. These results suggest the great potential of Bi2O2Se nanoplate photodetectors for practical applications.

Self-powered broadband photodetectors based on Bi2O2Se with asymmetric contact areas

Self-powered broadband photodetectors are widely used in military reconnaissance, outdoor environmental sensing, wearable medical monitoring. Current commercial broadband photodetectors based on conventional materials are structurally complex, high cost, and external power consumption. 2D materials emerge as promising candidates for the development of novel photodetectors with superior performances. The construction of self-powered photodetectors predominantly employs the heterostructures or metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) configurations, which still suffer from either multiple steps of material growth, transferring, alignment or various photolithography, film deposition techniques. Herein, a simple and effective asymmetric contact strategy is proposed to fabricate Bi2O2Se-based self-powered broadband photodetectors with asymmetric Au contact areas. The photodetector exhibits excellent performance under 350–1150 nm illumination. The responsivity is as high as 1.38, 4.76, and 0.63 A/W under 350, 550, and 1050 nm, respectively, which are much higher than those of the previously reported self-powered photodetectors based on Bi2O2Se nanosheets. Meanwhile, the self-powered photodetector has a high external quantum efficiency of 1073.16 % at 550 nm. In addition, the photodetector has excellent stability in the air and enables both imaging and optical communication. Owing to the simple architecture, cost-effectiveness, straightforward manufacturing process, and impressive performance, the proposed self-powered photodetectors hold considerable promise for future applications.

Effective Strategy for High‐Performance Organic Photodetectors with Significantly Suppressed Dark Current and Improved Responsivity

AbstractOrganic photodetectors (OPDs) have attracted immense interest as solution‐processable optical signal‐capturing devices due to their various advantages, such as adjustable response range, excellent weak light response, lightweight, flexibility, and ease of processing on diverse substrates. Low dark current density (Jd) and high responsivity (R) are key requirements necessary for achieving a high specific detectivity (D*). Here, an effective strategy for preparing high‐performance OPDs with potential micro p‐i‐n structure by introducing insulating poly(aryl ether) (PAEN) into the organic photosensitive layer is reported. The PM6:PC71BM‐based OPDs are capable of significantly suppressing Jd while increasing R, which can be attributed to the multiple optimizations of morphology and charge transport caused by the addition of PAEN. As a result, the value of Jd (3.63 × 10−10 A cm−2) is two orders of magnitude lower than that of the device without PAEN (1.00 × 10−8 A cm−2) at −1 V bias. Combined with the increased R of 0.376 A W−1, the optimized device achieves a high D*of 3.45 × 1013 Jones (−1 V at 620 nm). The optimized OPDs demonstrate high performance that is comparable to commercial Si photodetectors (Hamamatsu S1133), paving the way for the direct market development of this cost‐effective organic photodetection technology.

Intrinsically Stretchable Organic Photodiodes for Faint Near‐Infrared Light Detection and Extendable Cryptographic Imaging

AbstractSkin‐like optoelectronic devices have progressed in leaps and bounds, permitting considerable applications such as remote medical diagnosis, optical communication, biometric authentication, and 3D vision imaging. However, achieving extendable imaging in such frontier detectors poses a formidable challenge for stretchable electronic materials and remains largely unexplored. Herein, an ultrasensitive intrinsically stretchable organic photodiode is configured by the spatially modularizable‐assembled elastic photoactive film for faint near‐infrared light detection and extendable imaging. The performance metrics of the stretchable organic photodiodes rival that of commercial photodetectors, including high specific detectivity (D*noise) over 1012 Jones at 850 nm, ultralow noise current of 4.1 × 10−15 A Hz−1/2 and high stretchability up to 100%. Furthermore, it is the first time to simultaneously achieve the extendable near‐infrared cryptographic imaging and stable photoplethysmography signal detection based on stretchable photodiodes. These results signify a significant advancement toward enabling practical scenarios for stretchable organic optoelectronics.

Environmental-Friendly Ag2S QD-Multilayer MoSe2 van Der Waals Heterostructure for High-Performance Broadband Photodetection.

Broadband photodetectors have drawn intensive attention owing to their wide application prospects in optical communication, imaging, astronomy, and so on. Two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are considered as highly potential candidates for photodetection applications, benefiting from their excellent photoelectric properties. However, most of the photodetectors based on TMDs suffer from low performance in the near-infrared (NIR) region due to the weak optical absorption efficiency near their absorption band edge, which severely constrains their usage for broadband optoelectronics. Here, by taking advantage of the high absorption coefficient and environment-friendly property of Ag2S quantum dots (QDs), the hybrid of multilayer MoSe2/Ag2S QDs is demonstrated with a high-performance broadband photodetection capability (532-1270 nm). The favorable energy band alignment of MoSe2/Ag2S QDs facilitates effective separation and collection of photogenerated carriers, and the heterostructure device exhibits significant enhancement of performance compared to the bare MoSe2 device. High responsivity, detectivity, and external quantum efficiency of 25.5 A/W, 1.45 × 1011 Jones, and 1070% are obtained at a low working voltage of 1 V under 980 nm illumination. The responsivity of the device can reach up to 1.2 A/W at 1270 nm wavelength, which is competitive to the commercial NIR photodetectors. Meanwhile, broadband imaging capability is demonstrated. Our work may open up a facile and eco-friendly approach to construct high-performance broadband photodetectors for next-generation compact optoelectronic applications.

Self-Assembled BiGaSeAs Composite Superlattice-Structured Nanowire for Broad-Band Photodetection.

Photodetectors with a broad-band response range are widely used in many fields and are regarded as pivotal components of the modern miniaturized electronics industry. However, commercial broad-band photodetectors composed of traditional bulk semiconductor materials are still limited by complex preparation techniques, high costs, and a lack of mechanical strength and flexibility, which are difficult to satisfy the increasing demand for flexible and wearable optoelectronics. Therefore, researchers have been devoted to finding new strategies to obtain flexible, stable, and high-performance broad-band photodetectors. In this work, a novel self-assembled BiGaSeAs composite superlattice-structured nanowire was developed with a simple chemical vapor deposition method for easy fabrication. After the device assembling, the photodetector showed outstanding performance in terms of obvious Ion/Ioff (13.9), broad-band photoresponse (365-940 nm), excellent responsivity (1007.67 A/W), high detectivity (9.38 × 109 Jones), and rapid response (21 and 23 ms). The formation of microheterojunctions among various materials inside the nanowires also contributed to their extended broad-spectrum response and outstanding detection ability. These results indicate that the BiGaSeAs nanowires have potential applications in the field of flexible and wearable electronics.

Printed MoSe2/GaAs Photodetector Enabling Ultrafast and Broadband Photodetection up to 1.5 μm.

The development of high-performance and low-cost photodetectors (PDs) capable of detecting a broad range of wavelengths, from ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR), is crucial for applications in sensing, imaging, and communication systems. This work presents a novel approach for printing a broadband PD based on a heterostructure of two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). The fabrication process involves a precise technique to print MoSe2 nanoflower (NF) ink onto a prepatterned GaAs substrate. The resulting heterostructure exhibits unique properties, leveraging the exceptional electronic and optical characteristics of both GaAs and 2D MoSe2. The fabricated PD achieves an astounding on-off ratio of ∼105 at 5 V bias while demonstrating an exceptional on-off ratio of ∼104 at 0 V. The depletion region between GaAs and MoSe2 facilitates efficient charge generation and separation and collection of photogenerated carriers. This significantly improves the performance of the PD, resulting in a notably high responsivity across the spectrum. The peak responsivity of the device is 5.25 A/W at 5 V bias under 808 nm laser excitation, which is more than an order of magnitude higher than that of any commercial NIR PDs. Furthermore, the device demonstrates an exceptional responsivity of 0.36 A/W under an external bias of 0 V. The printing technology used here offers several advantages including simplicity, scalability, and compatibility with large-scale production. Additionally, it enables precise control over the placement and integration of the MoSe2 NF onto the GaAs substrate, ensuring uniformity and reliability in device performance. The exceptional responsivity across a broad spectral range (360-1550 nm) and the success of the printing technique make our MoSe2/GaAs heterostructure PD promising for future low-cost and efficient optoelectronic devices.

Visible-blind near-infrared organic photodetectors

The presently available commercial photodetectors have a broadband photoresponse and require different external optical filters to block the undesired light outside the detection spectrum window, e.g., near-infrared (NIR) detection. The use of an NIR bandpass has technical limitations in curved or flexible large-area photodetectors, as an NIR bandpass depends critically on the difference in the interference of the optical path in the filter. This work reports the effort to develop a high-performance filter-free organic photodetector (OPD) with a double bulk heterojunction (BHJ) structure. The visible-blind NIR photodetection is realized by eliminating the photocurrent generated in the front visible light-absorbing BHJ optical depletion layer, due to the suppression of electron transport by incorporating a copper thiocyanate-based electron-blocking layer in the OPD. Only excitons generated in the rear NIR-absorbing BHJ contribute to photocurrent in the OPD, thereby achieving visible-blind NIR photodetection. The double BHJ OPD has a high responsivity of 0.38 A/W at 1050 nm and a specific detectivity of >1013 Jones over the wavelength range from 800 to 1050 nm, making it an ideal candidate for applications in optical communication, food quality detection, wellness monitoring, and NIR image sensors.

Advances in borophene based photodetectors for a sustainable tomorrow: a comprehensive review.

Borophene, with its unique properties such as excellent conductivity, high thermal stability, and tunable electronic band structure, holds immense promise for advancing photodetector technology. These qualities make it an attractive material for enhancing the efficiency and performance of photodetectors across various wavelengths. Research so far has highlighted borophene's potential in improving sensitivity, response time, and overall functionality in optoelectronic devices. However, to fully realize the potential of borophene-based photodetectors, several challenges must be addressed. A major hurdle is the reproducibility and scalability of borophene synthesis, which is essential for its widespread use in practical applications. Furthermore, understanding the underlying physics of borophene and optimizing the device architecture are critical for achieving consistent performance under different operating conditions. These challenges must be overcome to enable the effective integration of borophene into commercial photodetector devices. A thorough evaluation of borophene-based photodetectors is necessary to guide future research and development in this field. This review will provide a detailed account of the current synthesis methods, discuss the experimental results, and identify the challenges that need to be addressed. Additionally, the review will explore potential strategies to overcome these obstacles, paving the way for significant advancements in solar cells, light-based sensors, and environmental monitoring systems. By addressing these issues, the development of borophene-based photodetectors could lead to substantial improvements in optoelectronic technology, benefiting various applications and industries.

Enhancing the properties of ZnO nanorods by Ni doping via the hydrothermal method for photosensor applications

In the present work, Ni-doped ZnO nanorods with concentrations ranging from 0 to 5 % are synthesized using a cost-effective hydrothermal method for the application of photodetectors. The prepared nanoparticles are analyzed by several techniques to examine their structure, optical, magnetic, and photosensing properties. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) study shows that the synthesized samples exhibits the hexagonal structure without any impurity with the P63mc space group. Surface morphology was performed using Scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmes the formation of nanorods, and homogeneous nature of synthesized samples. Energy Dispersive X Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) spectrum confirms the presence of Zn, Ni, and O elements in the prepared samples. Optical studies revealed that the estimated bandgap values are around 3.20 eV, 3.16 eV, 3.15 eV 3%, and 3.18 eV for pure ZnO, ZnO:Ni(1%), ZnO:Ni(3%) and ZnO:Ni(5%) samples, respectively. The vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM) study indicates the that all the samples exhibit ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature and also significant changes in the M−H loop as the dopant concentration changes. The photosensing properties of 3 % Ni doped ZnO nanorods photodetector, showed enhanced Responsivity (R), Detectivity (D*), and External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) values of 1.87 × 10-2(AW−1), 4.11 × 109 (Jones), and 43.23 %, respectively. Hence the 3 % Ni doped ZnO sample might be better for commercial photodetector applications.

High sensitivity of semimetal photodetection via Bose–Einstein condensation

AbstractThe discovery of semiconductor has witnessed remarkable strides toward high performance of photodetectors attributed to its excellent carrier properties. However, semimetal, owning to the high carrier concentration and low carrier mobility compared to those of semiconductor, is generally considered unsuitable for photodetection. Herein, we demonstrate an outstanding photodetection in a layered semimetal titanium diselenide (TiSe2) in Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) state. High sensitivity of semimetal photodetector is realized in the range of visible, infrared and terahertz bands. The noise equivalent power (NEP) has threefold improvement at the visible and infrared wavebands, and significant decrease by one order of magnitude in the terahertz frequencies via BEC phenomenon, attributed to the electrical parameter variation after condensation. The best NEP value in the terahertz frequency is comparable to that of commercial Si photodetector. Our results show another recipe to fabricate high performance of photodetection via semimetal except for semiconductor and pave the way to exploit macroscopic quantum phenomena for optoelectronics.image