One-Dimensional Assembly on Two-Dimensions: AuCN Nanowire Epitaxy on Graphene for Hybrid Phototransistors

The van der Waals epitaxy of functional materials provides an interesting and efficient way to manipulate the electrical properties of various hybrid two-dimensional (2D) systems. Here we show the controlled epitaxial assembly of semiconducting one-dimensional (1D) atomic chains, AuCN, on graphene and investigate the electrical properties of 1D/2D van der Waals heterostructures. AuCN nanowire assembly is tuned by different growth conditions, although the epitaxial alignment between AuCN chains and graphene remains unchanged. The switching of the preferred nanowire growth axis indicates that diffusion kinetics affects the nanowire formation process. Semiconducting AuCN chains endow the 1D/2D hybrid system with a strong responsivity to photons with an energy above 2.7 eV, which is consistent with the bandgap of AuCN. A large UV response (responsivity ∼10⁴ A/W) was observed under illumination using 3.1 eV (400 nm) photons. Our study clearly demonstrates that 1D chain-structured semiconductors can play a crucial role as a component in multifunctional van der Waals heterostructures.

Organic n-Channel Transistors Based on [1]Benzothieno[3,2- b]benzothiophene-Rylene Diimide Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polymers

Improving the charge-carrier mobility of conjugated polymers is important for developing high-performance, solution-processed optoelectronic devices. Although [1]benzothieno[3,2- b]benzothiophene (BTBT) has been frequently used as a high-performance p-type small molecular semiconductor and employed a few times as a building block for p-type conjugated polymers, it has never been explored as a donor moiety for high-performance n-type conjugated polymers. Here, BTBT has been conjugated with either n-type perylene diimide (PDI) or naphthalene diimide (NDI) units to generate a donor-acceptor copolymer backbone, for the first time. Charge-transport measurements of organic field-effect transistors show n-type dominant behaviors, with the electron mobility reaching ∼0.11 cm² V^-1 s^-1 for PDI-BTBT and ∼0.050 cm² V^-1 s^-1 for NDI-BTBT. The PDI-BTBT mobility value is one of the highest among the PDI-containing polymers. The high π-π stacking propensity of BTBT significantly improves the charge-carrier mobility in these polymers, as supported by atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction analyses. Phototransistor applications of these polymers in the n-type mode show highly sensitive photoresponses. Our findings demonstrate that incorporation of the BTBT donor unit within the rylene diimide acceptor-based conjugated polymers can improve the molecular ordering and electron mobility.

Metal Halide Perovskites: Synthesis, Ion Migration, and Application in Field-Effect Transistors

The past several years have witnessed tremendous developments of metal halide perovskite (MHP)-based optoelectronics. Particularly, the intensive research of MHP-based light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells could probably reform the optoelectronic semiconductor industry. In comparison, in spite of the large intrinsic charge carrier mobility of MHPs, the development of MHP-based field-effect transistors (MHP-FETs) is relatively slow, which is essentially due to the gate-field screening effect induced by the ion migration and accumulation in MHP-FETs. This work mainly aims to summarize the recent important work on MHP-FETs and propose solutions in terms of the development bottleneck of perovskite-based transistors, in an attempt to boost the research of MHP transistors further. First, the advantages and potential applications of MHP-FETs are briefly introduced, which is followed by a detailed description of the MHP crystalline structure and various material fabrication techniques. Afterward, MHP-FETs are discussed, including transistors based on hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites, all-inorganic perovskites, and lead-free perovskites.

Highly Anisotropic GeSe Nanosheets for Phototransistors with Ultrahigh Photoresponsivity

2D GeSe possesses black phosphorous-analog-layered structure and shows excellent environmental stability, as well as highly anisotropic in-plane properties. Additionally, its high absorption efficiency in the visible range and high charge carrier mobility render it promising for applications in optoelectronics. However, most reported GeSe-based photodetectors show frustrating performance especially in photoresponsivity. Herein, a 2D GeSe-based phototransistor with an ultrahigh photoresponsivity is demonstrated. Its optimized photoresponsivity can be up to ≈1.6 × 105 A W-1. This high responsivity can be attributed to the highly efficient light absorption and the enhanced photoconductive gain due to the existence of trap states. The exfoliated GeSe nanosheet is confirmed to be along the [001] (armchair direction) and [010] (zigzag direction) using transmission electron microscopy and anisotropic Raman characterizations. The angle-dependent electric and photoresponsive performance is systematically explored. Notably, the GeSe-based phototransistor shows strong polarization-dependent photoresponse with a peak/valley ratio of 1.3. Furthermore, the charge carrier mobility along the armchair direction is measured to be 1.85 times larger than that along the zigzag direction.

Self-Assembled Photochromic Molecular Dipoles for High-Performance Polymer Thin-Film Transistors

The development of high-performance multifunctional polymer-based electronic circuits is a major step toward future flexible electronics. Here, we demonstrate a tunable approach to fabricate such devices based on rationally designed dielectric super-lattice structures with photochromic azobenzene molecules. These nanodielectrics possessing ionic, molecular, and atomic polarization are utilized in polymer thin-film transistors (TFTs) to realize high-performance electronics with a p-type field-effect mobility (μ_FET) exceeding 2 cm² V^-1 s^-1. A crossover in the transport mechanism from electrostatic dipolar disorder to ionic-induced disorder is observed in the transistor characteristics over a range of temperatures. The facile supramolecular design allows the possibility to optically control the extent of molecular and ionic polarization in the ultrathin nanodielectric. Thus, we demonstrate a 3-fold increase in the capacitance from 0.1 to 0.34 μF/cm², which results in a 200% increase in TFT channel current.

Boosting Visible Light Absorption of Metal-Oxide-Based Phototransistors via Heterogeneous In-Ga-Zn-O and CH3NH3PbI3 Films

To broaden the availability and application of metal-oxide (M-O)-based optoelectronic devices, we suggest heterogeneous phototransistors composed of In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO) and methylammonium lead iodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃) layers, which act as the amplifier layer (channel layer) and absorption layer, respectively. These heterogeneous phototransistors showed low persistence photocurrent compared with IGZO-only phototransistors and exhibited high photoresponsivity of 61 A/W, photosensitivity of 3.48 × 10⁶, detectivity of 9.42 × 10¹⁰ Jones, external quantum efficiency of 154% in an optimized structure, and high photoresponsivity under water exposure via the deposition of silicon dioxide as a passivation layer. On the basis of these electrical results and various analyses, we determined that CH₃NH₃PbI₃ could be activated as a light absorption layer, current barrier, and plasma damage blocking layer, which would serve to widen the range of applications of M-O-based optoelectronic devices with high photoresponsivity and reliability under visible light illumination.

N-Type 2D Organic Single Crystals for High-Performance Organic Field-Effect Transistors and Near-Infrared Phototransistors

Organic field-effect transistors and near-infrared (NIR) organic phototransistors (OPTs) have attracted world's attention in many fields in the past decades. In general, the sensitivity, distinguishing the signal from noise, is the key parameter to evaluate the performance of NIR OPTs, which is decided by responsivity and dark current. 2D single crystal films of organic semiconductors (2DCOS) are promising functional materials due to their long-range order in spite of only few molecular layers. Herein, for the first time, air-stable 2DCOS of n-type organic semiconductors (a furan-thiophene quinoidal compound, TFT-CN) with strong absorbance around 830 nm, by the facile drop-casting method on the surface of water are successfully prepared. Almost millimeter-sized TFT-CN 2DCOS are obtained and their thickness is below 5 nm. A competitive field-effect electron mobility (1.36 cm² V^-1 s^-1 ) and high on/off ratio (up to 10⁸ ) are obtained in air. Impressively, the ultrasensitive NIR phototransistors operating at the off-state exhibit a very low dark current of ≈0.3 pA and an ultrahigh detectivity (D*) exceeding 6 × 10¹⁴ Jones because the devices can operate in full depletion at the off-state, superior to the majority of the reported organic-based NIR phototransistors.

Interstitial Mo-Assisted Photovoltaic Effect in Multilayer MoSe2 Phototransistors

Thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on multilayer molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂ ) synthesized by modified atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) exhibit outstanding photoresponsivity (103.1 A W^-1 ), while it is generally believed that optical response of multilayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is significantly limited due to their indirect bandgap and inefficient photoexcitation process. Here, the fundamental origin of such a high photoresponsivity in the synthesized multilayer MoSe₂ TFTs is sought. A unique structural characteristic of the APCVD-grown MoSe₂ is observed, in which interstitial Mo atoms exist between basal planes, unlike usual 2H phase TMDs. Density functional theory calculations and photoinduced transfer characteristics reveal that such interstitial Mo atoms form photoreactive electronic states in the bandgap. Models indicate that huge photoamplification is attributed to trapped holes in subgap states, resulting in a significant photovoltaic effect. In this study, the fundamental origin of high responsivity with synthetic MoSe₂ phototransistors is identified, suggesting a novel route to high-performance, multifunctional 2D material devices for future wearable sensor applications.

Photodetectors Based on Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Lead Halide Perovskites

Recent years have witnessed skyrocketing research achievements in organic-inorganic hybrid lead halide perovskites (OIHPs) in the photovoltaic field. In addition to photovoltaics, more and more studies have focused on OIHPs-based photodetectors in the past two years, due to the remarkable optoelectronic properties of OIHPs. This article summarizes the latest progress in this research field. To begin with, the factors influencing the performance of photodetectors are discussed, including both internal and external factors. In particular, the channel width and the incident power intensities should be taken into account to precisely and objectively evaluate and compare the output performance of different photodetectors. Next, photodetectors fabricated on single-component perovskites in terms of different micromorphologies are discussed, namely, 3D thin-film and single crystalline, 2D nanoplates, 1D nanowires, and 0D nanocrystals, respectively. Then, bilayer structured perovskite-based photodetectors incorporating inorganic and organic semiconductors are discussed to improve the optoelectronic performance of their pristine counterparts. Additionally, flexible OIHPs-based photodetectors are highlighted. Finally, a brief conclusion and outlook is given on the progress and challenges in the field of perovskites-based photodetectors.

Stable Graphene-Two-Dimensional Multiphase Perovskite Heterostructure Phototransistors with High Gain

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic perovskites emerged as an alternative material for their three-dimensional (3D) counterparts in photovoltaic applications with improved moisture resistance. Here, we report a stable, high-gain phototransistor consisting of a monolayer graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) covered by a 2D multiphase perovskite heterostructure, which was realized using a newly developed two-step ligand exchange method. In this phototransistor, the multiple phases with varying bandgap in 2D perovskite thin films are aligned for the efficient electron-hole pair separation, leading to a high responsivity of ∼10⁵ A W^-1 at 532 nm. Moreover, the designed phase alignment method aggregates more hydrophobic butylammonium cations close to the upper surface of the 2D perovskite thin film, preventing the permeation of moisture and enhancing the device stability dramatically. In addition, faster photoresponse and smaller 1/f noise observed in the 2D perovskite phototransistors indicate a smaller density of deep hole traps in the 2D perovskite thin film compared with their 3D counterparts. These desirable properties not only improve the performance of the phototransistor, but also provide a new direction for the future enhancement of the efficiency of 2D perovskite photovoltaics.

Photogating in Low Dimensional Photodetectors

Low dimensional materials including quantum dots, nanowires, 2D materials, and so forth have attracted increasing research interests for electronic and optoelectronic devices in recent years. Photogating, which is usually observed in photodetectors based on low dimensional materials and their hybrid structures, is demonstrated to play an important role. Photogating is considered as a way of conductance modulation through photoinduced gate voltage instead of simply and totally attributing it to trap states. This review first focuses on the gain of photogating and reveals the distinction from conventional photoconductive effect. The trap- and hybrid-induced photogating including their origins, formations, and characteristics are subsequently discussed. Then, the recent progress on trap- and hybrid-induced photogating in low dimensional photodetectors is elaborated. Though a high gain bandwidth product as high as 109 Hz is reported in several cases, a trade-off between gain and bandwidth has to be made for this type of photogating. The general photogating is put forward according to another three reported studies very recently. General photogating may enable simultaneous high gain and high bandwidth, paving the way to explore novel high-performance photodetectors.

Metal-Halide Perovskite Transistors for Printed Electronics: Challenges and Opportunities

Following the unprecedented rise in photovoltaic power conversion efficiencies during the past five years, metal-halide perovskites (MHPs) have emerged as a new and highly promising class of solar-energy materials. Their extraordinary electrical and optical properties combined with the abundance of the raw materials, the simplicity of synthetic routes, and processing versatility make MHPs ideal for cost-efficient, large-volume manufacturing of a plethora of optoelectronic devices that span far beyond photovoltaics. Herein looks beyond current applications in the field of energy, to the area of large-area electronics using MHPs as the semiconductor material. A comprehensive overview of the relevant fundamental material properties of MHPs, including crystal structure, electronic states, and charge transport, is provided first. Thereafter, recent demonstrations of MHP-based thin-film transistors and their application in logic circuits, as well as bi-functional devices such as light-sensing and light-emitting transistors, are discussed. Finally, the challenges and opportunities in the area of MHPs-based electronics, with particular emphasis on manufacturing, stability, and health and environmental concerns, are highlighted.

High-Performance Inorganic Perovskite Quantum Dot-Organic Semiconductor Hybrid Phototransistors

All-inorganic lead halide perovskite quantum dots (IHP QDs) have great potentials in photodetectors. However, the photoresponsivity is limited by the low charge transport efficiency of the IHP QD layers. High-performance phototransistors based on IHP QDs hybridized with organic semiconductors (OSCs) are developed. The smooth surface of IHP QD layers ensures ordered packing of the OSC molecules above them. The OSCs significantly improve the transportation of the photoexcited charges, and the gate effect of the transistor structure significantly enhances the photoresponsivity while simultaneously maintaining high I_photo /I_dark ratio. The devices exhibit outstanding optoelectronic properties in terms of photoresponsivity (1.7 × 10⁴ A W^-1 ), detectivity (2.0 × 10¹⁴ Jones), external quantum efficiency (67000%), I_photo /I_dark ratio (8.1 × 10⁴ ), and stability (100 d in air). The overall performances of our devices are superior to state-of-the-art IHP photodetectors. The strategy utilized here is general and can be easily applied to many other perovskite photodetectors.

Near-Infrared to Visible Organic Upconversion Devices Based on Organic Light-Emitting Field Effect Transistors

The near-infrared (NIR) to visible upconversion devices have attracted great attention because of their potential applications in the fields of night vision, medical imaging, and military security. Herein, a novel all-organic upconversion device architecture has been first proposed and developed by incorporating a NIR absorption layer between the carrier transport layer and the emission layer in heterostructured organic light-emitting field effect transistors (OLEFETs). The as-prepared devices show a typical photon-to-photon upconversion efficiency as high as 7% (maximum of 28.7% under low incident NIR power intensity) and millisecond-scale response time, which are the highest upconversion efficiency and one of the fastest response time among organic upconversion devices as referred to the previous reports up to now. The high upconversion performance mainly originates from the gain mechanism of field-effect transistor structures and the unique advantage of OLEFETs to balance between the photodetection and light emission. Meanwhile, the strategy of OLEFETs also offers the advantage of high integration so that no extra OLED is needed in the organic upconversion devices. The results would pave way for low-cost, flexible and portable organic upconversion devices with high efficiency and simplified processing.

Improving the Performance of Graphene Phototransistors Using a Heterostructure as the Light-Absorbing Layer

Interfacing light-sensitive semiconductors with graphene can afford high-gain phototransistors by the multiplication effect of carriers in the semiconductor layer. So far, most devices consist of one semiconductor light-absorbing layer, where the lack of internal built-in field can strongly reduce the quantum efficiency and bandwidth. Here, we demonstrate a much improved graphene phototransistor performances using an epitaxial organic heterostructure composed of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) and pentacene as the light-absorbing layer. Compared with single light-absorbing material, the responsivity and response time can be simultaneously improved by 1 and 2 orders of magnitude over a broad band of 400-700 nm, under otherwise the same experimental conditions. As a result, the external quantum efficiency increases by over 800 times. Furthermore, the response time of the heterostructured phototransistor is highly gate-tunable down to sub-30 μs, which is among the fastest in the sensitized graphene phototransistors interfacing with electrically passive light-absorbing semiconductors. We show that the improvement is dominated by the efficient electron-hole pair dissociation due to interfacial built-in field rather than bulk absorption. The structure demonstrated here can be extended to many other organic and inorganic semiconductors, which opens new possibilities for high-performance graphene-based optoelectronics.

Progress on Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices of 2D Layered Semiconducting Materials

2D layered semiconducting materials (2DLSMs) represent the thinnest semiconductors, holding many novel properties, such as the absence of surface dangling bonds, sizable band gaps, high flexibility, and ability of artificial assembly. With the prospect of bringing revolutionary opportunities for electronic and optoelectronic applications, 2DLSMs have prospered over the past twelve years. From materials preparation and property exploration to device applications, 2DLSMs have been extensively investigated and have achieved great progress. However, there are still great challenges for high-performance devices. In this review, we provide a brief overview on the recent breakthroughs in device optimization based on 2DLSMs, particularly focussing on three aspects: device configurations, basic properties of channel materials, and heterostructures. The effects from device configurations, i.e., electrical contacts, dielectric layers, channel length, and substrates, are discussed. After that, the affect of the basic properties of 2DLSMs on device performance is summarized, including crystal defects, crystal symmetry, doping, and thickness. Finally, we focus on heterostructures based on 2DLSMs. Through this review, we try to provide a guide to improve electronic and optoelectronic devices of 2DLSMs for achieving practical device applications in the future.

Transparent and Highly Responsive Phototransistors Based on a Solution-Processed, Nanometers-Thick Active Layer, Embedding a High-Mobility Electron-Transporting Polymer and a Hole-Trapping Molecule

Organic materials are suitable for light sensing devices showing unique features such as low cost, large area, and flexibility. Moreover, transparent photodetectors are interesting for smart interfaces, windows, and display-integrated electronics. The ease of depositing ultrathin organic films with simple techniques enables low light absorbing active layers, resulting in the realization of transparent devices. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to obtain high efficiency organic photodetectors and phototransistors based on transparent active layers with a visible transmittance higher than 90%. The photoactive layer is composed of two phases, each a few nanometers thick. First, an acceptor polymer, which is a good electron-transporting material, on top of which a small molecule donor material is deposited, forming noncontinuous domains. The small molecule phase acts as a trap for holes, thus inducing a high photoconductive gain, resulting in a high photoresponsivity. The organic transparent detectors proposed here can reach very high external quantum efficiency and responsivity values, which in the case of the phototransistors can be as high as ∼74000% and 340 A W^-1 at 570 nm respectively, despite an absorber total thickness below 10 nm. Moreover, frequency dependent 2D photocurrent mapping allows discrimination between the contribution of a fast but inefficient and highly spatially localized photoinduced injection mechanism at the electrodes, and the onset of a slower and spatially extended photoconductive process, leading to high responsivity.

A Solution-Processed High-Performance Phototransistor based on a Perovskite Composite with Chemically Modified Graphenes

Phototransistors with a structure of a nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs)-perovskite composite layer and a mildly reduced graphene oxide (mrGO) layer are fabricated through a solution-processing method. This hybrid phototransistor exhibits broad detection range (from 365 to 940 nm), high photoresponsivity (1.92 × 10⁴ A W^-1 ), and rapid response to light on-off (≈10 ms). NGQDs offer an effective and fast path for electron transfer from the perovskite to the mrGO, resulting in the improvement of photocurrent and photoswitching characteristics. The high photoresponsivity can also be ascribed to a photogating effect in the device. In addition, the phototransistor shows good stability with poly(methyl methacrylate) encapsulation, and can maintain 85% of its initial performance for 20 d in ambient air.

Flexible and Highly Photosensitive Electrolyte-Gated Organic Transistors with Ionogel/Silver Nanowire Membranes

Flexible and low-voltage photosensors with high near-infrared (NIR) sensitivity are critical for realization of interacting humans with robots and environments by thermal imaging or night vision techniques. In this work, we for the first time develop an easy and cost-effective process to fabricate flexible and ultrathin electrolyte-gated organic phototransistors (EGOPTs) with high transparent nanocomposite membranes of high-conductivity silver nanowire (AgNW) networks and large-capacitance iontronic films. A high responsivity of 1.5 × 10³ A·W^1-, high sensitivity of 7.5 × 10⁵, and 3 dB bandwidth of ∼100 Hz can be achieved at very low operational voltages. Experimental studies in temporal photoresponse characteristics reveal the device has a shorter photoresponse time at lower light intensity since strong interactions between photoexcited hole carriers and anions induce extra long-lived trap states. The devices, benefiting from fast and air-stable operations, provide the possibility of the organic photosensors for constructing cost-effective and smart optoelectronic systems in the future.

MoS2 -HgTe Quantum Dot Hybrid Photodetectors beyond 2 µm

Mercury telluride (HgTe) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have been developed as promising materials for the short and mid-wave infrared photodetection applications because of their low cost, solution processing, and size tunable absorption in the short wave and mid-infrared spectrum. However, the low mobility and poor photogain have limited the responsivity of HgTe CQD-based photodetectors to only tens of mA W^-1 . Here, HgTe CQDs are integrated on a TiO₂ encapsulated MoS₂ transistor channel to form hybrid phototransistors with high responsivity of ≈10⁶ A W^-1 , the highest reported to date for HgTe QDs. By operating the phototransistor in the depletion regime enabled by the gate modulated current of MoS₂ , the noise current is significantly suppressed, leading to an experimentally measured specific detectivity D* of ≈10¹² Jones at a wavelength of 2 µm. This work demonstrates for the first time the potential of the hybrid 2D/QD detector technology in reaching out to wavelengths beyond 2 µm with compelling sensitivity.

Ultrahigh Carrier Mobility Achieved in Photoresponsive Hybrid Perovskite Films via Coupling with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Organolead trihalide perovskites have drawn substantial interest for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications due to their remarkable physical properties and low processing cost. However, perovskite thin films suffer from low carrier mobility as a result of their structural imperfections such as grain boundaries and pinholes, limiting their device performance and application potential. Here we demonstrate a simple and straightforward synthetic strategy based on coupling perovskite films with embedded single-walled carbon nanotubes. We are able to significantly enhance the hole and electron mobilities of the perovskite film to record-high values of 595.3 and 108.7 cm² V^-1 s^-1 , respectively. Such a synergistic effect can be harnessed to construct ambipolar phototransistors with an ultrahigh detectivity of 3.7 × 10¹⁴ Jones and a responsivity of 1 × 10⁴ A W^-1 , on a par with the best devices available to date. The perovskite/carbon nanotube hybrids should provide a platform that is highly desirable for fields as diverse as optoelectronics, solar energy conversion, and molecular sensing.

High-Performance Phototransistor of Epitaxial PbS Nanoplate-Graphene Heterostructure with Edge Contact

Fast infrared response (rising time = 24 ms) and ultrahigh photoconductive gain (10(8) ) are obtained in epitaxial PbS-nanoplate-graphene heterostructures. Combining density functional theory with experiments, this study finds single-crystalline PbS nanoplates are covalently bound to the grapheme edge with strong chemical hybridization, which offers a fast carrier transmission path.

Epitaxial Ultrathin Organic Crystals on Graphene for High-Efficiency Phototransistors

Epitaxially grown ultrathin organic semiconductors on graphene show great promise as highly efficient phototransistors. The devices exhibit a strong photoresponse down to the limit of a monolayer organic crystal, with a photoresponsivity higher than 10(4) A W(-1) and a photoconductive gain over 10(8) . The excellent performance is attributed to the high quality of the organic crystal and interface, a unique feature of van der Waals epitaxy.

Graphene Quantum Dots: Molecularly Designed, Nitrogen-Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots for Optoelectronic Devices (Adv. Mater. 23/2016)

H. Tetsuka and co-workers develop a versatile technique to tune the energy levels and energy gaps of nitrogen-functionalized graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) continuously through molecular structure design, as described on page 4632. The incorporation of layers of NGQDs into the structures markedly improves the performance of optoelectronic devices.

Molecularly Designed, Nitrogen-Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots for Optoelectronic Devices

Nitrogen-functionalized graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) with tailorable optical properties are prepared by a versatile technique, which allows the highest occupied molecular orbital/lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels and energy gaps to be continuously varied. The integration of NGQD layers into the structures significantly improves the performance of optoelectronic devices.

Ultrasensitive Phototransistors Based on Few-Layered HfS2

An ultrathin HfS2 -based ultrasensitive phototransistor is systematically studied. Au-contacted HfS2 phototransistors with ideal thickness ranging from 7 to 12 nm exhibit a high on/off ratio of ca. 10(7) , ultrahigh photoresponsivity over 890 A W(-1) , and photogain over 2300. Moreover, the response time is strongly dependent on the back-gate voltage and shows a reverse trend for Au and Cr metals.

Ultrahigh and Broad Spectral Photodetectivity of an Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Phototransistor for Flexible Electronics

The creation of new organic-inorganic phototransistors with high and broad spectral photosensitivity is reported. The extended charge transport and photoconductivity between the layers in the bilayer structure results in a notable detectivity of over 10(12) Jones and a linear dynamic range of over 100 dB at a broad spectral bandwidth across the UV-NIR range. Furthermore, the considerably reduced persistent photocurrent effect of In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO)-based hybrid phototransistors is first demonstrated via an organic-inorganic bilayer approach.

Study on the photoresponse of amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O and zinc oxynitride semiconductor devices by the extraction of sub-gap-state distribution and device simulation

Persistent photoconduction (PPC) is a phenomenon that limits the application of oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors (TFTs) in optical sensor-embedded displays. In the present work, a study on zinc oxynitride (ZnON) semiconductor TFTs based on the combination of experimental results and device simulation is presented. Devices incorporating ZnON semiconductors exhibit negligible PPC effects compared with amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) TFTs, and the difference between the two types of materials are examined by monochromatic photonic C-V spectroscopy (MPCVS). The latter method allows the estimation of the density of subgap states in the semiconductor, which may account for the different behavior of ZnON and IGZO materials with respect to illumination and the associated PPC. In the case of a-IGZO TFTs, the oxygen flow rate during the sputter deposition of a-IGZO is found to influence the amount of PPC. Small oxygen flow rates result in pronounced PPC, and large densities of valence band tail (VBT) states are observed in the corresponding devices. This implies a dependence of PPC on the amount of oxygen vacancies (VO). On the other hand, ZnON has a smaller bandgap than a-IGZO and contains a smaller density of VBT states over the entire range of its bandgap energy. Here, the concept of activation energy window (AEW) is introduced to explain the occurrence of PPC effects by photoinduced electron doping, which is likely to be associated with the formation of peroxides in the semiconductor. The analytical methodology presented in this report accounts well for the reduction of PPC in ZnON TFTs, and provides a quantitative tool for the systematic development of phototransistors for optical sensor-embedded interactive displays.

High gain hybrid graphene-organic semiconductor phototransistors

Hybrid phototransistors of graphene and the organic semiconductor poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) are presented. Two types of phototransistors are demonstrated with a charge carrier transit time that differs by more than 6 orders of magnitude. High transit time devices are fabricated using a photoresist-free recipe to create large-area graphene transistors made out of graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition. Low transit time devices are fabricated out of mechanically exfoliated graphene on top of mechanically exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride using standard e-beam lithography. Responsivities exceeding 10(5) A/W are obtained for the low transit time devices.

Giant photoamplification in indirect-bandgap multilayer MoS2 phototransistors with local bottom-gate structures

Local-gate multilayer MoS2 phototransistors exhibit a photoresponsivity of up to 342.6 A W(-1) , which is higher by 3 orders of magnitude than that of global-gate multilayer MoS2 phototransistors. These simulations indicate that the gate underlap is critical for the enhancement of the photoresponsivity. These results suggest that high photoresponsivity can be achieved in indirect-bandgap multilayer MoS2 phototransistors by optimizing the optoelectronic design.

Photojunction field-effect transistor based on a colloidal quantum dot absorber channel layer

The performance of photodetectors is judged via high responsivity, fast speed of response, and low background current. Many previously reported photodetectors based on size-tuned colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have relied either on photodiodes, which, since they are primary photocarrier devices, lack gain; or photoconductors, which provide gain but at the expense of slow response (due to delayed charge carrier escape from sensitizing centers) and an inherent dark current vs responsivity trade-off. Here we report a photojunction field-effect transistor (photoJFET), which provides gain while breaking prior photoconductors' response/speed/dark current trade-off. This is achieved by ensuring that, in the dark, the channel is fully depleted due to a rectifying junction between a deep-work-function transparent conductive top contact (MoO3) and a moderately n-type CQD film (iodine treated PbS CQDs). We characterize the rectifying behavior of the junction and the linearity of the channel characteristics under illumination, and we observe a 10 μs rise time, a record for a gain-providing, low-dark-current CQD photodetector. We prove, using an analytical model validated using experimental measurements, that for a given response time the device provides a two-orders-of-magnitude improvement in photocurrent-to-dark-current ratio compared to photoconductors. The photoJFET, which relies on a junction gate-effect, enriches the growing family of CQD photosensitive transistors.

Anomalous and highly efficient InAs nanowire phototransistors based on majority carrier transport at room temperature

Core/shell-like n-type InAs nanowire phototransistors based on majority-carrier-dominated photodetection are investigated. Under optical illumination, electrons generated from the core are excited into the self-assembled near-surface photogating layer, forming a built-in electric field to significantly regulate the core conductance. Anomalous high photoconductive gain and fast response time are obtained at room temperature.

Transparent, high-performance thin-film transistors with an InGaZnO/aligned-SnO2 -nanowire composite and their application in photodetectors

A high mobility of 109.0 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) is obtained by thin-film transistors (TFTs) comprising a composite made by aligning SnO2 nanowires (NWs) in amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin films. This composite TFT reaches an on-current density of 61.4 μA μm(-1) with a 10 μm channel length. Its performance surpasses that of single-crystalline InGaZnO and is comparable with that of polycrystalline silicon.

Graphene-ruthenium complex hybrid photodetectors with ultrahigh photoresponsivity

The maximum responsivity of a pure monolayer graphene-based photodetector is currently less than 10 mA W(-1) because of small optical absorption and short recombination lifetime. Here, a graphene hybrid photodetector functionalized with a photoactive ruthenium complex that shows an ultrahigh responsivity of ≈1 × 10(5) A W(-1) and a photoconductive gain of ≈3 × 10(6) under incident optical intensity of the order of sub-milliwatts is reported. This responsivity is two orders of magnitude higher than the precedent best performance of graphene-based photodetectors under a similar incident light intensity. Upon functionalization with a 4-nm-thick ruthenium complex, monolayer graphene-based photodetectors exhibit pronounced n-type doping effect due to electron transfer via the metal-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) from the ruthenium complex to graphene. The ultrahigh responsivity is attributed to the long lifetime and high mobility of the photoexcited charge carriers. This approach is highly promising for improving the responsivity of graphene-based photodetectors.

High-performance nanowire oxide photo-thin film transistor

A gate-modulated nanowire oxide photosensor is fabricated by electron-beam lithography and conventional dry etch processing.. The device characteristics are good, including endurance of up to 10(6) test cycles, and gate-pulse excitation is used to remove persistent photoconductivity. The viability of nanowire oxide phototransistors for high speed and high resolution applications is demonstrated, thus potentially expanding the scope of exploitation of touch-free interactive displays.

Organic light detectors: photodiodes and phototransistors

While organic electronics is mostly dominated by light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic cells and transistors, optoelectronics properties peculiar to organic semiconductors make them interesting candidates for the development of innovative and disruptive applications also in the field of light signal detection. In fact, organic-based photoactive media combine effective light absorption in the region of the spectrum from ultraviolet to near-infrared with good photogeneration yield and low-temperature processability over large areas and on virtually every substrate, which might enable innovative optoelectronic systems to be targeted for instance in the field of imaging, optical communications or biomedical sensing. In this review, after a brief resume of photogeneration basics and of devices operation mechanisms, we offer a broad overview of recent progress in the field, focusing on photodiodes and phototransistors. As to the former device category, very interesting values for figures of merit such as photoconversion efficiency, speed and minimum detectable signal level have been attained, and even though the simultaneous optimization of all these relevant parameters is demonstrated in a limited number of papers, real applications are within reach for this technology, as it is testified by the increasing number of realizations going beyond the single-device level and tackling more complex optoelectronic systems. As to phototransistors, a more recent subject of study in the framework of organic electronics, despite a broad distribution in the reported performances, best photoresponsivities outperform amorphous silicon-based devices. This suggests that organic phototransistors have a large potential to be used in a variety of optoelectronic peculiar applications, such as a photo-sensor, opto-isolator, image sensor, optically controlled phase shifter, and opto-electronic switch and memory.

High-gain phototransistors based on a CVD MoS₂ monolayer

A phototransistor based on a chemical vapor deposited (CVD) MoS2 monolayer exhibits a high photoresponsivity (2200 A W(-1) ) and an excellent photogain (5000). The presence of shallow traps contributes to the persistent photoconductivity. Ambient adsorbates act as p-dopants to MoS2 , decreasing the carrier mobility, photoresponsivity, and photogain.

High-gain phototransistors based on a CVD MoS₂ monolayer

A phototransistor based on a chemical vapor deposited (CVD) MoS2 monolayer exhibits a high photoresponsivity (2200 A W(-1) ) and an excellent photogain (5000). The presence of shallow traps contributes to the persistent photoconductivity. Ambient adsorbates act as p-dopants to MoS2 , decreasing the carrier mobility, photoresponsivity, and photogain.