Comparison of Colloidal PbS QD Photoconductors and Hybrid Phototransistors

The simplicity in the fabrication of photoconductors makes them a valuable choice to investigate optoelectronic properties of colloidal quantum dot (CQD) films. Lateral photoconductors generally require a large size, in the mm2, and are limited in operation speed due to the presence of trapping sites. In contrast, hybrid phototransistors are fabricated in the μm2 scale and benefit from such trapping sites, allowing the measurement of low light levels in the nW/cm2. The question, however, arises whether high responsivity values are required for the detection of low light levels or the compatible detectivity of photoconductors is sufficient. Here, we directly compare photoconductors and hybrid phototransistors with an identical EDT-treated PbS CQD film. We highlight that a comparable D* is not enough for the purpose of measuring low light levels, as the resulting photocurrents need to be readily accessible. Furthermore, we also showcase temperature-activated photocurrent dynamics resulting in a negative photocurrent (NPC) effect. This NPC simultaneously improves the frequency bandwidth and photocurrent, enabling operation speeds up to 100 kHz.