Ultraviolet photodetector based on p-borophene/n-ZnO heterojunction

Stability and photocurrent enhancement of photodetectors by using core/shell structured CsPbBr3/TiO2 quantum dots and 2D materials

Ultra-stable CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots (QDs) were prepared, and the performance of the photodetector fabricated from them was enhanced by 2D material incorporation. This multi-component photodetector appears to have good stability in the ambient utilization environment. All inorganic CsPbBr3 QDs are potential candidates for application in photodetection devices. However, QDs have several issues such as defects on the QD surface, degradation under environmental conditions, and unfavorable carrier mobility limiting the high performance of the photodetectors. This work addresses these issues by fabricating a core/shell structure and introducing 2D materials (MXenes, Ti3C2Tx) into the device. Here, three types of photodetectors with QDs only, QDs with a core/shell structure, and QDs with a core/shell structure and MXenes are fabricated for systematic study. The CsPbBr3/TiO2 photodetector demonstrated a two times photocurrent enhancement compared to bare QDs and had good device stability after TiO2 shell coating. After introducing Ti3C2Tx into CsPbBr3/TiO2, a significant photocurrent enhancement from nanoampere (nA) to microampere (μA) was observed, revealing that MXenes can improve the photoelectric response of perovskite materials significantly. Higher photocurrent can avoid signal interference from environmental noise for better practical feasibility. This study provides a systematic understanding of the photocurrent conversion of perovskite quantum dots that is beneficial in advancing optoelectronic device integration, especially for flexible wearable device applications.

Selective Interfacial Excited-State Carrier Dynamics and Efficient Charge Separation in Borophene-Based Heterostructures

Borophene-based van der Waals heterostructures have demonstrated enormous potential in the realm of optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices, which has sparked a wide range of interest. However, a thorough understanding of the microscopic excited-state electronic dynamics at interfaces is lacking, which is essential for determining the macroscopic optoelectronic and photovoltaic performance of borophene-based devices. In this study, photoexcited carrier dynamics of β12 , χ3 , and α΄ borophene/MoS2 heterostructures are systematically studied based on time-domain nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations. Different Schottky contacts are found in borophene/semiconductor heterostructures. The interplay between Schottky barriers, electronic coupling, and the involvement of different phonon modes collectively contribute to the unique carrier dynamics in borophene-based heterostructures. The diverse borophene allotropes within the heterostructures exhibit distinct and selective carrier transfer behaviors on an ultrafast timescale: electrons tunnel into α΄ borophene with an ultrafast transfer rate (≈29 fs) in α΄/MoS2 heterostructures, whereas β12 borophene only allows holes to migrate with a lifetime of 176 fs. The feature enables efficient charge separation and offers promising avenues for applications in optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. This study provides insight into the interfacial carrier dynamics in borophene-based heterostructures, which is helpful in further design of advanced 2D boron-based optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices.

Robust Magnetic Proximity Induced Anomalous Hall Effect in a Room Temperature van der Waals Ferromagnetic Semiconductor Based 2D Heterostructure

Developing novel high-temperature van der Waals ferromagnetic semiconductor materials and investigating their interface coupling effects with 2D topological semimetals are pivotal for advancing next-generation spintronic and quantum devices. However, most van der Waals ferromagnetic semiconductors exhibit ferromagnetism only at low temperatures, limiting the proximity research on their interfaces with topological semimetals. Here, an intrinsic, van der Waals layered room-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor crystal, FeCr0.5 Ga1.5 Se4 (FCGS), is reported with a Curie temperature (TC ) as high as 370 K, setting a new record for van der Waals ferromagnetic semiconductors. The saturation magnetization at low temperature (2 K) and room temperature (300 K) reaches 8.2 and 2.7 emu g-1 , respectively. Furthermore, FCGS possesses a bandgap of ≈1.2 eV, which is comparable to the widely used commercial silicon. The FCGS/graphene 2D heterostructure exhibits an impeccably smooth and gapless interface, thereby inducing a robust van der Waals magnetic proximity coupling effect between FCGS and graphene. After the proximity coupling, graphene undergoes a charge carrier transition from electrons to holes, accompanied by a transition from non-magnetic to ferromagnetic transport behavior with robust anomalous Hall effect (AHE). Notably, the van der Waals magnetic proximity-induced AHE remains robust even up to 400 K.

Large-area large-grain CsPbCl3perovskite films by confined re-growth for violet photodetectors

CsPbCl₃perovskite is an attractive semiconductor material with characteristics such as a wide bandgap, high chemical stability, and excellent optoelectronic properties, which broaden its application prospects for ultraviolet (UV) and violet photodetectors (PDs). However, large-area CsPbCl₃films with high coverage, large grains, and controllable thickness are still difficult to prepare by using the solution method due to the extremely low solubility of their precursors in conventional solvents. Herein, a water-assisted confined re-growth method is developed, and a CsPbCl₃microcrystalline film with an area of 3 cm × 3 cm is grown, the thickness of which is controllable within a range of several microns. The as-prepared thin film exhibits a flat and smooth surface, large grains, and enhanced photoluminescence. Furthermore, the fabricated violet PDs based on the prepared CsPbCl₃film show a high responsivity of 2.17 A W^-1, external quantum efficiency of 664%, on/off ratio of 2.58 × 10³, and good stability. This study provides a prospective solution for the growth of large-area, large-grain, and surface-smooth CsPbCl₃films for high-performance UV and violet PDs.

Laser ablation fabrication of ap-NiO/n-Si heterojunction for broadband and self-powered UV-Visible-NIR photodetection

We report on the optoelectronic characteristics ofp-NiO/n-Si heterojunction photodiode for broadband photodetection, fabricated by depositing ap-type NiO thin film onto a commercialn-type silicon substrate using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The structural properties of the PLD-grownp-NiO material were analysed by means of x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, confirming its crystalline nature and revealing the presence of Ni vacancies, respectively. Hall measurements confirmed thep-type semiconducting nature of the NiO thin film having a carrier concentration of 8.4 × 10¹⁶cm^-3. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of thep-NiO/n-Si heterojunction photodevice were investigated under different wavelengths ranging from UV to NIR. The self-bias properties under different illuminations of light were also explored systematically. Under self-bias condition, the photodiode exhibits excellent responsivities of 12.5 mA W^-1, 24.6 mA W^-1and 30.8 mA W^-1with illumination under 365 nm, 485 nm, and 850 nm light, respectively. In addition, the time dependency of the photoresponse of the fabricated photodevice has also been investigated and discussed thoroughly.