High-sensitivity, high-speed, broadband mid-infrared photodetector enabled by a van der Waals heterostructure with a vertical transport channel
The realization of room-temperature-operated, high-performance, miniaturized, low-power-consumption and Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible mid-infrared photodetectors is highly desirable for next-generation optoelectronic applications, but has thus far remained an outstanding challenge using conventional materials. Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures provide an alternative path toward this goal, yet despite continued efforts, their performance has not matched that of low-temperature HgCdTe photodetectors. Here, we push the detectivity and response speed of a 2D heterostructure-based mid-infrared photodetector to be comparable to, and even superior to, commercial cooled HgCdTe photodetectors by utilizing a vertical transport channel (graphene/black phosphorus/molybdenum disulfide/graphene). The minimized carrier transit path of tens of nanometers facilitates efficient and fast carrier transport, leading to significantly improved performance, with a mid-infrared detectivity reaching 2.38 × 10<sup>11</sup> cmHz<sup>1/2</sup>W<sup>-1</sup> (approaching the theoretical limit), a fast response time of 10.4 ns at 1550 nm, and an ultrabroadband detection range spanning from the ultraviolet to mid-infrared wavelengths. Our study provides design guidelines for next-generation high-performance room-temperature-operated mid-infrared photodetectors.
Authors
- Tao Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6289-3834)
- Jialin Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6130-2294)
- Shouheng Chen
- Hao Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2014-8961)
- Zhenliang Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9931-4568)
- Yuanfang Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2809-4489)
- Weida Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5278-8969)
- Qiang Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9606-6001)
- Rui Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8454-5141)
- Jianfeng Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4466-4461)
- Zhenhua Ni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6316-2256)
- Yueying Cui
- Dongyang Wan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6810-2183)
- Junpeng Lü (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7099-3162)
- Hongwei Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5451-6828)
- Xiaolong Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6208-3161)
- Wenhui Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0433-0261)
- Xinlei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5397-586X)
- Ruiqi Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5611-2214)
Institutions
- Nanjing Normal University (CN)
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CN)
- Southeast University (BD)
- Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (CN)
- Ministry of Education (BD)
- Southeast University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-01-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55887-x
- Citations
- 100
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Semiconductor Detectors and Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 73.04
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Government of Jiangsu Province
- Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province
- National Key Research and Development Program of China