Reviewed by Alex SmithMay 9 2022
A team led by Prof. Liang Li and Prof. Guanghai Li from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (CAS) Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) and Prof. Feng Yan from Hong Kong Polytechnic University recently developed a new two-dimensional (2D)-based photodetector with ultrafast photoresponse and broadband detection abilities.
Left. photoresponse spectra curves at different wavelength irradiation; Right. comparison of speed performance and spectral response with other reported 2DM-based photodetectors. Image Credit: LI Liang.
The photodetector, presented in an article published recently in ACS Nano, was composed of layered ternary telluride InSiTe3.
Photodetectors with extensive detection capabilities are important in daily life and are widely employed in a variety of applications. Due to their lengthy excess carrier lifetime, many 2D materials-based photodetectors have strong photoresponsivity and detectivity but poor reaction speed.
In practical applications, such sluggish speed performance has become a constraint for 2D materials-based photodetectors, particularly in optical communication.
We found that the response of this InSiTe3-based photodetector is stable and reversible.
Prof. Liang Li, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The potential photodetector is built on the ternary telluride InSiTe3, which has trigonal symmetry and a layered structure. Scientists manufactured high-quality InSiTe3 crystals and measured Raman spectra to detect its Raman vibration modes.
Their experiments showed that the reaction of the photos was between 545–576 ns, and the detection capacity was between 365–1,310nm in the communication range of ultraviolet to near-infrared light.
Subsequently, they discovered that the InSiTe3 indirect bandgap could be adjusted from 1.30eV (monolayer) to 0.78eV (multilayer) (bulk). Also, the detectivity of the InSiTe3-based photodetectors is 7.59 x 109 Jones.
These exceptional performance figures demonstrate the high-speed broadband photodetection capability of 2D InSiTe3-based photodetectors.
The Natural Science Foundation of China, the Recruitment Program for Leading Talent Team of Anhui Province, the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province, the Open Research Fund of Advanced Laser Technology Laboratory of Anhui Province, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University all contributed to this study.
Journal Reference:
Chen. J., et al., (2022). A Submicrosecond-Response Ultraviolet—Visible—Near-Infrared Broadband Photodetector Based on 2D Tellurosilicate InSiTe3. ACS Nano doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.1c11628.