Hot Electron Production Research Articles

Ni/n-Si Schottky junction: Self-biased infrared photodetection via hot carrier photoemission

Internal photoemission-based hot electron generation at metal-semiconductor junctions holds significant potential for silicon-based sub-bandgap NIR photodetectors. In this work, we designed a simple nickel-silicon Schottky junction using the pulsed laser deposition technique and performed both experimental and theoretical analyses. To reduce the complexity of fabrication and lower costs, we used a planar nickel thin film on top of n-type silicon. The thickness of the nickel thin film was optimized to improve absorption and hot electron generation near the Ni/Si interface. We measured and calculated reflectance using the transfer matrix approach to quantify the effect of thickness on EQE. We also calculated the thickness-dependent absorption profile to estimate hot electron production near the junction. The current-voltage characterization of Ni/n-Si Schottky photodetector was investigated under the dark conditions as well under 1200 nm and 1300 nm light illumination. Under self-bias conditions, a photodiode with a 12 nm Ni thickness exhibits responsivity of 0.124 mA/W and 0.069 mA/W under illumination from 1200 nm and 1300 nm LED light, respectively. Furthermore, we used a comprehensive theoretical model to quantify the planar Ni/Si hot carrier generation and emission efficiency. and experimentally validated the calculated EQEs with the fabricated device. We believe the proposed complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible and simply structured Ni/Si Schottky photodetector will have potential applications in the silicon-based optoelectronics market.

Role of spontaneous thermal emissions in inflationary laser Raman instability

The role of thermal fluctuations on the stimulated Raman backscattering instability is investigated by means of Vlasov and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations in a regime of strong linear Landau damping of the Langmuir wave. The instability is initially convective and amplifies thermal noise, leading to a low-amplitude back-scattered laser sideband. Linear Landau damping of the Langmuir sideband modifies and flattens the electron velocity distribution function at the resonant velocity, leading to a gradual decrease in the Landau damping rate and an increase in the convective amplification. The Langmuir wave traps electrons resulting in a rapid nonlinear absolute instability and large amplitude flashes of backscattered light off large amplitude Langmuir waves with trapped electrons, leading to the production of hot electrons. Conditions for simulating realistic thermal noise with Vlasov and PIC simulations are discussed and defined.

Collimated hot electron generation from sub-wavelength grating target irradiated by a femtosecond laser pulse of relativistic intensity

We investigate the production of hot electrons from the interaction of relativistically intense (I>1018 W/cm2) ultrashort (25 fs) laser pulses with sub-wavelength grating target. We measure the hot electron angular distribution and energy spectra for grating target and compare them with those from a planar mirror target. We observe that hot electrons are emitted in a collimated beam along the specular direction of the grating target. From the measurements, we see fast electron temperature and flux for grating are higher than those for mirror due to a stronger coupling with the laser. We performed numerical simulations, which are in good agreement with experimental results, and offer insights into the acceleration mechanism by resulting electric and magnetic fields. Such collimated fast electron beams have a wide range of applications in applied and fundamental science.

Study on near forward scattering light of planar film target driven by broadband laser

Laser-plasma instability (LPI) is one of the key issues in the ignition process of inertial confinement fusion (ICF), and extensive theoretical, simulation, and experimental research has been conducted over the years. Broadband laser, due to its low temporal coherence, can reduce the effective electric field strength when interacting with plasma and disrupt the phase-matching conditions of LPI, thus considered an effective approach to solving LPI issues. Current extensive simulation studies indicate that broadband laser can suppress the generation of phenomena such as Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS), and Two-Plasmon Decay (TPD) to some extent. There are also a few backward scattering experimental studies, but more experimental research such as side-scattering is still needed. Therefore, based on the broadband second harmonic laser facility “Kunwu”, this paper designs experiments for the lateral scattering of critical density plasma driven by broadband and traditional narrowband lasers, as well as the production of hot electrons. The experimental results show that the side SBS and side SRS spectra and shares at different angles excited by broadband lasers with a power density of 1×10<sup>15</sup>W·cm<sup>-2</sup> have significant differences from those of narrowband lasers. Further analysis reveals that the overall share of hot electrons in the lateral direction is higher for broadband lasers compared to narrowband lasers. However, under broadband conditions, the share of SRS at small forward and backward angles is significantly lower than that of narrowband lasers. Preliminary qualitative analysis suggests that SRS may not be the primary mechanism for hot electron generation in this case, and that PDI might play a dominant role in the generation of hot electrons.

Parametric instabilities and hot electron generation in the interactions of broadband lasers with inhomogeneous plasmas

The development of parametric instabilities in the interaction of a large-scale inhomogeneous plasma with either a monochromatic or a broadband laser pulse is investigated theoretically and numerically. For a monochromatic laser at an intensity of W cm−2, the development of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) in the relatively low density region will obviously dissipate pump laser and hence inhibit the development of Two-Plasmon Decay (TPD) and absolute Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) near the quarter-critical density. By using a laser with a moderate fractional bandwidth (∼1.0%) at the same averged intensity, it is found that the laser reflectivity will be greatly reduced since the SBS can be suppressed effectively due to its low linear growth rate. On the contrary, the TPD and absolute SRS are obviously enhanced since the in situ laser intensity near the quarter-critical density becomes stronger in this case. As a result, the hot electron generation due to the TPD and absolute SRS is dramatically enhanced as well. This indicates that the competition between various parametric instabilities in a large-scale inhomogeneous plasma makes it more challenging to simultaneously suppress all kinds of parametric instabilities by using broadband lasers. Particular attention should be paid to the TPD, which not only has a relatively large linear growth rate but also is efficient in generating harmful hot electrons. Increasing the laser bandwidth further, the hot electron generation will be finally reduced as long as the TPD and SRS are also suppressed with a sufficient bandwidth (3%) at the intensity of W cm−2 that may be encountered in some novel ignition schemes such as shock ignition. However, it is worth noting that the laser bandwidth required to mitigate parametric instabilities and hot electron production strongly depends on laser intensity. A moderate laser bandwidth (∼1%) may be sufficient to mitigate both the laser reflectivity and hot electron production for typical ICF target designs operated with laser intensities lower than 1015 W cm−2.

Cr2S3-Cr2O3/Poly-2-aminobenzene-1-thiol as a Highly Photocatalytic Material for Green Hydrogen Generation from Sewage Water.

This study highlights the utilization of the Cr2S3-Cr2O3/P2ABT nanocomposite photoelectrode for efficient and highly sensitive photon absorption, enabling the generation of green hydrogen through the production of hot electrons upon illumination. The nanocomposite is synthesized via a one-pot reaction using K2Cr2O7 and 2-aminobenzene-1-thiol monomer, and the presence of Cr2S3-Cr2O3 is confirmed by XRD and XPS analysis within the composite. The optical properties of the Cr2S3-Cr2O3/poly-2-aminobenzene-1-thiol composite exhibit wide spectral coverage from UV to IR, with a bandgap of 1.6 eV. The diverse morphological behavior observed in the composite correlates with its optical properties, with the cleft spherical particles of the pure polymer transforming into rod-like structures embedded within the polymer matrix. The generated hydrogen gas demonstrates an impressive efficiency of 40.5 mole/10.cm2.h through electrochemical testing. The current density (Jph) values are evaluated under different light frequencies using optical filters ranging from 730 to 340 nm, resulting in Jph values of 0.012 and 0.014 mA.cm-2, respectively. These findings present a promising avenue as green hydrogen for industrial applications, leveraging the potential of the Cr2S3-Cr2O3/P2ABT nanocomposite photoelectrode.

Hot electron and x-ray generation by sub-ns kJ-class laser-produced tantalum plasma

This paper presents experimental investigation of temperature scaling and threshold of instability in hot electron and bremsstrahlung radiation from the interaction of sub-nanosecond and kilo-joule class laser pulses with a tantalum foil target at Prague Asterix Laser System. The laser intensity was varied between and W · cm−2 at the target focus. The energy distribution functions of electrons were measured by an angular array of magnetic spectrometers indicating the electron temperature in the range between 30 keV and 70 keV. The bremsstrahlung spectrum was characterized using a scintillator-based calorimeter. In particular, we show the laser-energy scaling of the total flux of hot electrons in the forward and backward directions with respect to the laser vector, the conversion efficiency of the laser energy to the energy carried by hot electrons, and the temperature of hot electrons as well as the unfolded bremsstrahlung temperature using a Monte Carlo code consistent with signals of the scintillator detector. The scaling shows that the electron flux increases discontinuously with increasing laser intensity from W · cm−2 with consequent instability in the production of hot electrons and bremsstrahlung radiation.

2D/0D plasmonic CuSe/CdS for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen activity via strong Vis-NIR light and interfacial effect

The rational design of plasmonic material/semiconductor can effectively enhance the light absorption and charge carrier’s concentration, optimizing their photocatalytic performance. Herein, we prepared a plasmonic CuSe nanosheet loaded by CdS nanoparticles to form a p-n typed heterogeneous photocatalyst. The CuSe/CdS composites performed superior photocatalytic hydrogen activities in full spectrum: The best hydrogen production rate of the CuSe/CdS composite catalyst was 1402 μmol g−1h−1 under λ > 420 nm (10.5 times of CdS), 297 μmol g−1h−1 under λ > 520 nm and additionally 16 μmol g−1h−1 under λ > 780 nm. Various analysis demonstrates the utilization of localized surface plasmon resonance（LSPR）endows CuSe/CdS Vis-NIR broad absorption capacity and good photothermal effect, promoting the efficient separation of charge carriers and the H2 production of hot electrons in the p-n heterojunction. The reasonable design offers a new path to achieve the full-spectrum driven photocatalytic activity.

Enhanced laser-energy coupling with small-spot distributed phase plates (SG5-650) in OMEGA DT cryogenic target implosions

Cryogenic deuterium–tritium ice target implosions on OMEGA with new small-spot (SG5-650) distributed phase plates (DPPs) achieved an (11±4)% increase in energy coupling compared to implosions with larger-spot SG5-850 DPPs by decreasing the ratio of the laser spot diameter to the target diameter from 0.93 to 0.75. The SG5-650 DPPs provide a focus spot size of 674 μm, which is defined as the diameter that encircles 95% of the measured beam energy compared to 834 μm for the SG5-850, which are the standard DPPs in cryogenic target implosions on OMEGA. The hydrodynamic efficiency, defined as the ratio of the kinetic energy in the imploding shell to the laser energy, increased from 4.5% to 5.0% based on radiation-hydrodynamic calculations benchmarked to shell trajectory and bang-time measurements. The higher coupling came with a trade-off of an increased hot-electron production as well as increased hydrodynamic instabilities seeded by a larger mode-10 amplitude from the beam port geometry, both of which may have reduced the fusion neutron production and areal density.

Nonlinear development of absolute Raman backscatter in ignition-scale direct-drive coronal conditions

Motivated by a resurgence of interest in stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion, we use Vlasov–Maxwell simulations to investigate the nonlinear saturation and associated hot electron production for absolute SRS backscatter near the quarter-critical density. The simulated plasma conditions are relevant to recent planar target experiments on the National Ignition Facility [Rosenberg et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 055001 (2018)]. It is discovered that wave–wave interactions dominate over kinetic effects in the nonlinear development of instability with clear signatures of the Langmuir decay instability (LDI) cascade and modulational instability of the primary electron plasma wave. Spectral broadening of the scattered light is shown to occur by two mechanisms: via a long wavelength modulation of the electron density—caused by the ponderomotive action of the near-turning point Airy-like structure of the SRS light—and by seeding of SRS by the LDI cascade. Hot electrons are produced at a level that is ≲1% of the incident laser energy by acceleration in the turbulent spectrum associated with the LDI cascade. Despite the high electron plasma temperature, collisions are shown to be important and have the effect of moderating the LDI cascade. The effect of collisions is shown to have a more dramatic effect on hot electron production than on the SRS reflectivity.

Achieving record hot spot energies with large HDC implosions on NIF in HYBRID-E

HYBRID-E is an inertial confinement fusion implosion design that increases energy coupled to the hot spot by increasing the capsule scale in cylindrical hohlraums while operating within the current experimental limits of the National Ignition Facility. HYBRID-E reduces the hohlraum scale at a fixed capsule size compared to previous HYBRID designs, thereby increasing the hohlraum efficiency and energy coupled to the capsule, and uses the cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) to control the implosion symmetry by operating the inner (23° and 30°) and outer (44° and 50°) laser beams at different wavelengths (Δλ> 0). Small case to capsule ratio designs can suffer from insufficient drive at the waist of the hohlraum. We show that only a small amount of wavelength separation between the inner and outer beams (Δλ 1–2 Å) is required to control the symmetry in low-gas-filled hohlraums (0.3 mg/cm3 He) with enough drive at the waist of the hohlraum to symmetrically drive capsules 1180 μm in outer radius. This campaign is the first to use the CBET to control the symmetry in 0.3 mg/cm3 He-filled hohlraums, the lowest gas fill density yet fielded with Δλ> 0. We find a stronger sensitivity of hot spot P2 in μm per Angstrom (40–50 μm/Å wavelength separation) than observed in high-gas-filled hohlraums and previous longer pulse designs that used a hohlraum gas fill density of 0.6 mg/cm3. There is currently no indication of transfer roll-off with increasing Δλ, indicating that even longer pulses or larger capsules could be driven using the CBET in cylindrical hohlraums. We show that the radiation flux symmetry is well controlled during the foot of the pulse, and that the entire implosion can be tuned symmetrically in the presence of the CBET in this system, with low levels of laser backscatter out of the hohlraum and low levels of hot electron production from intense laser–plasma interactions. Radiation hydrodynamic simulations can accurately represent the early shock symmetry and be used as a design tool, but cannot predict the late-time radiation flux symmetry during the peak of the pulse, and semi-empirical models are used to design the experiments. Deuterium–tritium (DT)-layered tests of 1100 μm inner radius implosions showed performance close to expectations from simulations at velocities up to ∼360 km/s, and record yields at this velocity, when increasing the DT fuel layer thickness to mitigate hydrodynamic mixing of the ablator into the hot spot as a result of defects in the ablator. However, when the implosion velocity was increased, mixing due to these defects impacted performance. The ratio of measured to simulated yield for these experiments was directly correlated with the level of observed mixing. These simulations suggest that reducing the mixing, e.g., by improving the capsule defects, could result in higher performance. In addition, future experiments are planned to reduce the coast time at this scale, delay between the peak compression and the end of the laser, to increase the hot spot convergence and pressure. To reduce the coast time by several hundred ps compared to the 1100 μm inner radius implosions, HYBRID-E has also fielded 1050 μm inner radius capsules, which resulted in higher hot spot pressure and a fusion energy yield of ∼170 kJ.

Enhancements in laser-generated hot-electron production via focusing cone targets at short pulse and high contrast.

We report on the increase in the accelerated electron number and energy using compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) targets from a short-pulse (∼150 fs), high-intensity (>10^{18} W/cm^{2}), and high-contrast (∼10^{8}) laser-solid interaction. We report on experimental measurements using CPC targets where the hot-electron temperature is enhanced up to ∼9 times when compared to planar targets. The temperature measured from the CPC target is 〈T_{e}〉=4.4±1.3 MeV. Using hydrodynamic and particle in cell simulations, we identify the primary source of this temperature enhancement is the intensity increase caused by the CPC geometry that focuses the laser, reducing the focal spot and therefore increasing the intensity of the laser-solid interaction, which is also consistent with analytic expectations for the geometrical focusing.

Mitigation of multibeam stimulated Raman scattering with polychromatic light

A theoretical analysis is presented for the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) driven by multiple beams with certain frequency differences or bandwidths. The concomitant electrostatic modes are excited by the scattering lights when the pump beams share a common electron plasma wave to drive SRS. This coupling can be suppressed when the frequency difference of the two beams is three times larger than the SRS growth rate of a single beam, where the beams develop their scattering lights independently. To mitigate SRS further under the multibeam irradiation, polychromatic pumps are introduced to reduce the SRS saturation level, where the weakly coupled common modes are heavily damped in hot plasmas. The sidescattering driven by polychromatic light in inhomogeneous plasmas is significantly reduced due to the wavevector mismatch of daughter waves. Particle-in-cell simulations confirm our theoretical analysis and demonstrate that the strength of multibeam SRS and the hot electron production in inhomogeneous plasmas can be controlled at a low level by polychromatic light with a few percentage bandwidth (), even in the non-linear regime.

Electronics of Anion Hot Injection-Synthesized Te-Functionalized Kesterite Nanomaterial.

Metal chalcogenides such as copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) have been intensively studied as potential photovoltaic cell materials, but their viability have been marred by crystal defects and low open circuit potential (Voc) deficit, which affected their energy conversion efficiency. Strategies to improve on the properties of this material such as alloying with other elements have been explored and have yielded promising results. Here, we report the synthesis of CZTS and the partial substitution of S with Te via anion hot injection synthesis method to form a solid solution of a novel kesterite nanomaterial, namely, copper zinc tin sulfide telluride (CZTSTe). Particle-size analyzed via small angle X-ray scattering spectroscopy (SAXS) confirmed that CZTS and CZTSTe materials are nanostructured. Crystal planes values of 112, 200, 220 and 312 corresponding to the kesterite phase with tetragonal modification were revealed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopic analysis of CZTS and CZTSTe. The Raman spectroscopy confirmed the shifts at 281 cm−1 and 347 cm−1 for CZTS, and 124 cm−1, 149 cm−1 and 318 cm−1 for CZTSTe. High degradation rate and the production of hot electrons are very detrimental to the lifespan of photovoltaic cell (PVC) devices, and thus it is important to have PVC absorber layer materials that are thermally stable. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) analysis indicated a 10% improvement in the thermal stability of CZTSTe compared to CZTS at 650 °C. With improved electrical conductivity, low charge transfer resistance (Rct) and absorption in the visible region with a low bandgap energy (Eg) of 1.54 eV, the novel CZTSTe nanomaterials displayed favorable properties for photovoltaics application.

Electron acceleration at oblique angles via stimulated Raman scattering at laser irradiance >10^{16}Wcm^{-2}μm^{2}.

The generation of hot, directional electrons via laser-driven stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is a topic of great importance in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) schemes. Little recent research has been dedicated to this process at high laser intensity, in which back, side, and forward scatter simultaneously occur in high energy density plasmas, of relevance to, for example, shock ignition ICF. We present an experimental and particle-in-cell (PIC) investigation of hot electron production from SRS in the forward and near-forward directions from a single speckle laser of wavelength λ_{0}=1.053μm, peak laser intensities in the range I_{0}=0.2-1.0×10^{17}Wcm^{-2} and target electron densities between n_{e}=0.3-1.6%n_{c}, where n_{c} is the plasma critical density. As the intensity and density are increased, the hot electron spectrum changes from a sharp cutoff to an extended spectrum with a slope temperature T=34±1keV and maximum measured energy of 350 keV experimentally. Multidimensional PIC simulations indicate that the high energy electrons are primarily generated from SRS-driven electron plasma wave phase fronts with k vectors angled ∼50^{∘} with respect to the laser axis. These results are consistent with analytical arguments that the spatial gain is maximized at an angle which balances the tendency for the growth rate to be larger for larger scattered light wave angles until the kinetic damping of the plasma wave becomes important. The efficiency of generated high energy electrons drops significantly with a reduction in either laser intensity or target electron density, which is a result of the rapid drop in growth rate of Raman scattering at angles in the forward direction.

Increased hot electron production from the addition of a gas cell in sub-picosecond laser–foil interactions

A number of recent experiments at the VULCAN laser at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory involving high intensity (1019 W/cm2) sub-picosecond laser pulses incident on thin (∼10 μm) metal foils for use as a proton probe have suggested that the addition of a gas cell behind the foil results in a significant increase in the production of hard x rays, particularly in the direction counter to the incident laser direction. In this paper, we consider two mechanisms that might contribute to this effect. Analysis of these two mechanisms indicates that there are plausible physical mechanisms that could give rise to the observations, and thus the physics of these gas-cell targets merits further study.

Recent Advances in the Design of Plasmonic Au/TiO2 Nanostructures for Enhanced Photocatalytic Water Splitting.

Plasmonic nanostructures have played a key role in extending the activity of photocatalysts to the visible light spectrum, preventing the electron–hole combination and providing with hot electrons to the photocatalysts, a crucial step towards efficient broadband photocatalysis. One plasmonic photocatalyst, Au/TiO2, is of a particular interest because it combines chemical stability, suitable electronic structure, and photoactivity for a wide range of catalytic reactions such as water splitting. In this review, we describe key mechanisms involving plasmonics to enhance photocatalytic properties leading to efficient water splitting such as production and transport of hot electrons through advanced analytical techniques used to probe the photoactivity of plasmonics in engineered Au/TiO2 devices. This work also discusses the emerging strategies to better design plasmonic photocatalysts and understand the underlying mechanisms behind the enhanced photoactivity of plasmon-assisted catalysts.

Electromagnetic induction effect induced high-efficiency hot charge generation and transfer in Pd-tipped Au nanorods to boost plasmon-enhanced formic acid dehydrogenation

Improving the photo-induced hot charge utilization rate in granular catalysts with specific nanostructure is hindered by limited hot electron production and rapid recombination in plasmonic metal particles; therefore, promoting photo-induced hot charge generation and transfer during the plasmonic process is a vital approach for enhancing plasmonic catalytic performance. In this work, with the intention of constructing Pd-tipped Au nanorod heterostructures to achieve plasmon-enhanced formic acid dehydrogenation, the magnetic-field-derived electromagnetic induction effect is utilized to further boost the generation and transfer of plasmonic hot charges in Au nanorods. By exposing the plasmonic catalytic system to a rotating permanent magnet at 28 °C, formic acid dehydrogenation efficiency was improved by approximately 60%. The improvement rate in the same system can exceed 150% at 45 °C. This enhancement is attributed to the increase in plasmonic hot charges and the suppression of charge recombination based on the electromagnetic induction effect of plasmonic Au nanorods in a rotating magnetic field. This work provides a practical strategy for designing high-activity catalysts regulated via magnetic field for formic acid dehydrogenation. • The magnetic-field is utilized to further boost the plasmonic hot charge generation and transfer from Au nanorods to Pd. • The formic acid dehydrogenation efficiency were improved 60% and 150% at 28 °C and 45 °C in rotatingmagnetic field. • The increase in plasmonic hot charges and the suppression of charge recombination by the electromagnetic induction effect.

Laser-plasma instabilities in long scale-length plasmas relevant to shock-ignition

We present 2D particle-in-cell simulations of laser-plasma instabilities (LPI) performed using conditions relevant to experiments on the OMEGA and NIF laser facilities. The laser intensity used is 2×1015 W cm−2, which allows comparison with previous experiments and simulations investigating shock ignition, though this is a relatively low intensity for the scheme. We find that the large convective gain of the instabilities leads to dynamics that are largely controlled by pump depletion and to scattering or absorption by LPIs predominantly occurring away from the quarter-critical density. The two-plasmon decay (TPD) instability is dominant for OMEGA-type conditions and remains important at the NIF-scale. In both cases, most absorption from TPD occurs near its Landau cutoff density, and we examine its nonlinear dynamics in this region, focusing on the ion-acoustic waves responsible for saturation. For NIF-type conditions, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and stimulated Brillouin scattering divert significant fractions of laser energy, and we find that SRS backscatter can occur with high gain at low densities due to kinetic effects. An in-depth analysis of hot-electron production is performed to identify the main sources and their characteristic electron temperature. For both simulations presented, the overall hot-electron temperature lies between 30 and 35 keV. This is relatively low and will likely increase shock pressure; however, the distributions also contain a significant number of high-energy (Ek>100 keV) electrons that would likely cause unacceptable preheat. We, therefore, suggest some strategies that may be utilized to minimize this high-energy component.

Ultrasensitive ambient-stable SnSe2-based broadband photodetectors for room-temperature IR/THz energy conversion and imaging

The advent of tin diselenide (SnSe2) enables novel pathways for optoelectronics, due to its reduced cost, ultralow thermal conductivity and high potential for thermoelectricity. To date, SnSe2-based optoelectronic devices have been focused on the visible and infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with efficiency sharply decreasing at longer wavelength. Here, we present SnSe2 photodetectors with exfoliated SnSe2 nanosheets extended in the range of THz frequency, exhibiting high responsivity (170 V W−1), fast speed (2.2 μs), as well as room-temperature operation, based on efficient production of hotelectrons under deep-subwavelength electromagnetic focus, which outperform thermal-based photodetectors. Our SnSe2-based detectors show high-contrast imaging from terahertz (THz) up to visible. The outstanding ambient stability of our broadband photodetectors in a timescale of months is due to the chemical inertness of stoichiometric SnSe2 crystals, validated by surface-science experiments. Our results demonstrate the suitability of SnSe2for multispectral sensing and real-time imaging.