Observation of polarity-switchable photoconductivity in III-nitride/MoSx core-shell nanowires

Ultrahigh Bipolar Photoresponse in a Self-Powered Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on GaN and In/Sn-Doped Ga2O3 Nanowires pn junction

Self-powered ultraviolet photodetectors with bipolar photoresponse have great potential in the fields of ultraviolet optical communication, all-optical controlled artificial synapses, high-resolution ultraviolet imaging equipment, and multiband photoelectric detection. However, the current low optoelectronic performance limits the development of such polar switching devices. Here, we construct a self-powered ultraviolet photodetector based on GaN and In/Sn-doped Ga2O3 (IGTO) nanowires (NWs) pn junction structure. This unique nanowire/thin film structure allows GaN and IGTO to dominate the absorption of light at different wavelengths, resulting in a highly bipolar photoresponse. The device has a responsivity of 2.04 A/W and a normalized detectivity of 7.18 × 1013 Jones at 254 nm and a responsivity of -2.09 A/W and a normalized detectivity of -7 × 1013 Jones at 365 nm, both at zero bias. In addition, it has an extremely high Ilight/Idark ratio of 1.05 × 105 and ultrafast response times of 2.4/1.9 ms (at 254 nm) and 5.7/5.2 ms (at 365 nm). These excellent properties are attributed to the high specific surface area of the one-dimensional nanowire structure and the abundant voids generated by the nanowire network to enhance the absorption of light, and the p-n junction structure enables the rapid separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Our findings provide a feasible strategy for high-performance wavelength-controlled polarity switching devices.

CVD-Grown Monolayer MoS2 and GaN Thin Film Heterostructure for a Self-Powered and Bidirectional Photodetector with an Extended Active Spectrum

Photodetector technology has evolved significantly over the years with the emergence of new active materials. However, there remain trade-offs between spectral sensitivity, operating energy, and, more recently, an ability to harbor additional features such as persistent photoconductivity and bidirectional photocurrents for new emerging application areas such as switchable light imaging and filter-less color discrimination. Here, we demonstrate a self-powered bidirectional photodetector based on molybdenum disulfide/gallium nitride (MoS2/GaN) epitaxial heterostructure. This fabricated detector exhibits self-powered functionality and achieves detection in two discrete wavelength bands: ultraviolet and visible. Notably, it attains a peak responsivity of 631 mAW-1 at a bias of 0V. The device's response to illumination at these two wavelengths is governed by distinct mechanisms, activated under applied bias conditions, thereby inducing a reversal in the polarity of the photocurrent. This work underscores the feasibility of self-powered and bidirectional photocurrent detection but also opens new vistas for technological advancements for future optoelectronic, neuromorphic, and sensing applications.

Broadband Negative Photoconductive Response in Carbon Nanodots

Due to the broadband response and low selectivity of external light, negative photoconductivity (NPC) effect holds great potential applications in photoelectric devices. Herein, different photoresponsive carbon nanodots (CDs) are prepared from diverse precursors and the broadband response from the NPC CDs are utilized to achieve the optoelectronic logic gates and optical imaging for the first time. In detail, the mcu-CDs which are prepared by the microwave-assisted polymerization of citric acid and urea possess the large specific surface area and abundant hydrophilic groups as sites for the adsorption of H2O molecules and thereby present a high conductivity in dark. Meanwhile, the low affinity of mcu-CDs to H2O molecules permits the light-induced desorption of H2O molecules by heat effect and thus endow the mcu-CDs with a low conductivity under illumination. The easy absorption and desorption of H2O molecules contribute to the extraordinary NPC of mcu-CDs. With the broadband NPC response in CDs, the optoelectronic logic gates and flexible optical imaging system are established, achieving the applications of "NOR" or "NAND" logic operations and high-quality optical images. These findings unveil the unique optoelectronic properties of CDs, and have the potential to advance the applications of CDs in optoelectronic devices.

Highly Responsive Switchable Broadband DUV-NIR Photodetector and Tunable Emitter Enabled by Uniform and Vertically Grown III-V Nanowire on Silicon Substrate for Integrated Photonics

Low-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures, particularly in the form of nanowire configurations with large surface-to-volume-ratio, offer intriguing optoelectronic properties for the advancement of integrated photonic technologies. Here, a bias-controlled, superior dual-functional broadband light detecting/emitting diode enabled by constructing the aluminum-gallium-nitride-based nanowire on the silicon-platform is reported. Strikingly, the diode exhibits a stable and high responsivity (R) of over 200 mAW-1 covering an extremely wide operation band under reverse bias conditions, ranging from deep ultraviolet (DUV: 254 nm) to near-infrared (NIR: 1000 nm) spectrum region. While at zero bias, it still possesses superior DUV light selectivity with a high off-rejection ratio of 106. When it comes to the operation of the light-emitting mode under forward bias, it can achieve large spectral changes from UV to red simply by coating colloid quantum dots on the nanowires. Based on the multifunctional features of the diodes, this study further employs them in various optoelectronic systems, demonstrating outstanding applications in multicolor imaging, filterless color discrimination, and DUV/NIR visualization. Such highly responsive broadband photodetector with a tunable emitter enabled by III-V nanowire on silicon provides a new avenue toward the realization of integrated photonics and holds great promise for future applications in communication, sensing, imaging, and visualization.

Manipulating Surface Band Bending of III-Nitride Nanowires with Ambipolar Charge-Transfer Characteristics: A Pathway Toward Advanced Photoswitching Logic Gates and Encrypted Optical Communication

The operational principle of semiconductor devices critically relies on the band structures that ultimately govern their charge-transfer characteristics. Indeed, the precise orchestration of band structure within semiconductor devices, notably at the semiconductor surface and corresponding interface, continues to pose a perennial conundrum. Herein, for the first time, this work reports a novel postepitaxy method: thickness-tunable carbon layer decoration to continuously manipulate the surface band bending of III-nitride semiconductors. Specifically, the surface band bending of p-type aluminum-gallium-nitride (p-AlGaN) nanowires grown on n-Si can be precisely controlled by depositing different carbon layers as guided by theoretical calculations, which eventually regulate the ambipolar charge-transfer behavior between the p-AlGaN/electrolyte and p-AlGaN/n-Si interface in an electrolyte environment. Enabled by the accurate modulation of the thickness of carbon layers, a spectrally distinctive bipolar photoresponse with a controllable polarity-switching-point over a wide spectrum range can be achieved, further demonstrating reprogrammable photoswitching logic gates "XOR", "NAND", "OR", and "NOT" in a single device. Finally, this work constructs a secured image transmission system where the optical signals are encrypted through the "XOR" logic operations. The proposed continuous surface band tuning strategy provides an effective avenue for the development of multifunctional integrated-photonics systems implemented with nanophotonics.

Lattice-mismatch-free construction of III-V/chalcogenide core-shell heterostructure nanowires

Growing high-quality core-shell heterostructure nanowires is still challenging due to the lattice mismatch issue at the radial interface. Herein, a versatile strategy is exploited for the lattice-mismatch-free construction of III-V/chalcogenide core-shell heterostructure nanowires by simply utilizing the surfactant and amorphous natures of chalcogenide semiconductors. Specifically, a variety of III-V/chalcogenide core-shell heterostructure nanowires are successfully constructed with controlled shell thicknesses, compositions, and smooth surfaces. Due to the conformal properties of obtained heterostructure nanowires, the wavelength-dependent bi-directional photoresponse and visible light-assisted infrared photodetection are realized in the type-I GaSb/GeS core-shell heterostructure nanowires. Also, the enhanced infrared photodetection is found in the type-II InGaAs/GeS core-shell heterostructure nanowires compared with the pristine InGaAs nanowires, in which both responsivity and detectivity are improved by more than 2 orders of magnitude. Evidently, this work paves the way for the lattice-mismatch-free construction of core-shell heterostructure nanowires by chemical vapor deposition for next-generation high-performance nanowire optoelectronics.

Target-Induced Photocurrent-Polarity-Switching PEC Sensing Platform Based on In Situ Generation of Oxygen Vacancy-Modulated Energy Band Structures

The polarity of the photocurrent can be modulated by tunable bipolar photoelectrochemical (PEC) behavior, which is anticipated to address the issues of high background signal caused by traditional unidirectional increasing/decreasing response and false-positive/false-negative problems. Here, a new approach is suggested for the first time, which employs a target-induced enzyme-catalyzed reaction and in situ oxygen vacancy (OV) generation to achieve heterojunction photocurrent switching for highly sensitive detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Among them, the ALP can catalyze the decomposition of ascorbic acid phosphate to produce ascorbic acid, which not only acts as an electron donor to change the redox environment but also acts as a reducing agent to introduce OVs into BiOBr semiconductors in cooperation with illumination. The introduction of vacancies can effectively modulate the energy band structure of BiOBr, while with the change of redox conditions, the transfer path of photogenerated carriers is changed, thus realizing the switching of photocurrents, which leads to its use in the construction of a negative-background anti-interference PEC sensing platform, achieving a wide linear range from 0.005 to 500 U·L-1 with a low detection limit of 0.0017 U·L-1. In conclusion, the photocurrent switching operation of this system is jointly regulated by chemistry, optics, and carrier motion, which provides a new idea for the construction of a PEC sensing platform based on photocurrent polarity switching.

Highly Responsive Near-Infrared Si/Sb2Se3 Photodetector via Surface Engineering of Silicon

The development of imaging technology and optical communication demands a photodetector with high responsiveness. As demonstrated by microfabrication and nanofabrication technology advancements, recent progress in plasmonic sensor technologies can address this need. However, these photodetectors have low optical absorption and ineffective charge carrier transport efficiency. Sb₂Se₃ is light-sensitive material with a high absorption coefficient, making it suitable for photodetector applications. We developed an efficient, scalable, low-cost near-infrared (NIR) photodetector based on a nanostructured Sb₂Se₃ film deposited on p-type micropyramidal Si (made via the wet chemical etching process), working on photoconductive phenomena. Our results proved that, at the optimized thickness of the Sb₂Se₃ layer, the proposed Si micropyramidal substrate enhanced the responsivity nearly two times, compared with that of the Sb₂Se₃ deposited on a flat Si reference sample and a glass/Sb₂Se₃ sample at 1064 nm (power density = 15 mW/cm²). More interestingly, the micropyramidal silicon-based device worked at 0 V bias, paving a path for self-bias devices. The highest specific detectivity of 2.25 × 10¹⁵ Jones was achieved at 15 mW/cm² power density at a bias voltage of 0.5 V. It is demonstrated that the enhanced responsivity was closely linked with field enhancement due to the Kretschmann configuration of Si pyramids, which acts as hot spots for Si/Sb₂Se₃ junction. A high responsivity of 47.8 A W^-1 proved it suitable for scalable and cost-effective plasmonic-based NIR photodetectors.

Ultraviolet Exciton-Polariton Light-Emitting Diode in a ZnO Microwire Homojunction

Low-dimensional ZnO, possessing well-defined side facets and optical gain properties, has emerged as a promising material to develop ultraviolet coherent light sources. However, the realization of electrically driven ZnO homojunction luminescence and laser devices is still a challenge due to the absence of a reliable p-type ZnO. Herein, the sample of p-type ZnO microwires doped by Sb (ZnO:Sb MWs) was synthesized individually. Subsequently, the p-type conductivity was examined using a single-MW field-effect transistor. Upon optical pumping, a ZnO:Sb MW showing a regular hexagonal cross-section and smooth sidewall facets can feature as an optical microcavity, which is evidenced by the achievement of whispering-gallery-mode lasing. By combining an n-type ZnO layer, a single ZnO:Sb MW homojunction light-emitting diode (LED), which exhibited a typical ultraviolet emission at a wavelength of 379.0 nm and a line-width of approximately 23.5 nm, was constructed. We further illustrated that strong exciton-photon coupling can occur in the as-constructed p-ZnO:Sb MW/n-ZnO homojunction LED by researching spatially resolved electroluminescence spectra, contributing to the exciton-polariton effect. Particularly, varying the cross-sectional dimensions of ZnO:Sb wires can further modulate the exciton-photon coupling strengths. We anticipate that the results can provide an effective exemplification to realize reliable p-type ZnO and tremendously promote the development of low-dimensional ZnO homojunction optoelectronic devices.