Au-Doped Black Silicon Photodetector Fabricated by a Femtosecond Laser with Excellent Near-Infrared Response

Silicon photonic devices are key components in optical imaging and sensing for communication, and the development of silicon-based photodetectors with ideal performance in the visible and infrared spectral ranges can promote the application of silicon photonics in various photoelectronic systems. Here, a Au-doped black silicon photodetector was prepared by a femtosecond laser direct writing technique. The conical micro-/nanostructures with different sizes were produced by different laser fluence irradiation. Ultrafast pump–probe technology revealed that the strong spallation process and phase explosion between Au and silicon facilitate the interfusion of Au atoms into the silicon lattice. EDS analyses, Raman spectra, and XPS spectra show the uniform distribution of Au elements, multiconfiguration amorphous phase transition, and stable chemical valence states of Au elements in Au-doped black silicon layers, respectively. The excellent geometric light trapping performance of the surface conic structure-assisted photodetector achieved a high absorptance of 95% in the 200–1100 nm band. Simultaneously, the introduction of the intermediate band by Au hyperdoping also leads to a strong absorptance of 75% in the 1100–2500 nm band. The photoelectrical response rate of the Au-doped black silicon photodetectors increased by 10 times in the infrared wavelength band by means of the introduced intermediate energy levels through Au element doping. The switching photocurrent ratio is also found to be boosted 10 times, which comes from the reduction of the photon injection barrier. The excellent photoelectronic properties lead to the increased potential of femtosecond laser processing for integration with photonics and electronics, which shows great possibilities in the further progress of energy devices, information technology, and artificial intelligence.