Schottky infrared detectors with optically tunable barriers beyond the internal photoemission limit

Jintao Fu; Zhongmin Guo; Changbin Nie; Feiying Sun; Genglin Li; Shuanglong Feng; Xingzhan Wei

doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100600

The Innovation > 2024 Vol. 5 > No. 3

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Schottky infrared detectors with optically tunable barriers beyond the internal photoemission limit

1.
Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
2.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3.
Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China

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Corresponding author: weixingzhan@cigit.ac.cn
Received Date: September 16, 2023

Accepted Date: February 27, 2024

Published Online: February 29, 2024

The Innovation 5(3), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100600 | Cite this article

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PUBLIC SUMMARY

PUBLIC SUMMARY
1. ■ An infrared detector with an optically tunable barrier is proposed to overcome the internal photoemission limit.
2. ■ Broadband infrared detection is attained while maintaining a low dark current.
3. ■ Highly sensitive blackbody radiation sensing is achieved at room temperature.
4. ■ This strategy shows promise for realizing uncooled, high-performance silicon-based infrared sensors.

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

Internal photoemission is a prominent branch of the photoelectric effect and has emerged as a viable method for detecting photons with energies below the semiconductor bandgap. This breakthrough has played a significant role in accelerating the development of infrared imaging in one chip with stateof-the-art silicon techniques. However, the performance of these Schottky infrared detectors is currently hindered by the limit of internal photoemission; specifically, a low Schottky barrier height is inevitable for the detection of low-energy infrared photons. Herein, a distinct paradigm of Schottky infrared detectors is proposed to overcome the internal photoemission limit by introducing an optically tunable barrier. This device uses an infrared absorbing material-sensitized Schottky diode, assisted by the highly adjustable Fermi level of graphene, which subtly decouples the photon energy from the Schottky barrier height. Correspondingly, a broadband photoresponse spanning from ultraviolet to mid-wave infrared is achieved, with a high specific detectivity of 9.83 × 3 10¹⁰ cm Hz^1/2 W^–1 at 2,700 nm and an excellent specific detectivity of 7.2 × 3 10⁹ cm Hz^1/2 W^–1 at room temperature under blackbody radiation. These results address a key challenge in internal photoemission and hold great promise for the development of the Schottky infrared detector with high sensitivity and room temperature operation.

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Fu J., Guo Z., Nie C., et al., (2024). Schottky infrared detectors with optically tunable barriers beyond the internal photoemission limit. The Innovation 5(3), 100600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100600

Fu J., Guo Z., Nie C., et al., (2024). Schottky infrared detectors with optically tunable barriers beyond the internal photoemission limit. The Innovation 5(3), 100600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100600

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Schottky infrared detectors with optically tunable barriers beyond the internal photoemission limit

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Schottky infrared detectors with optically tunable barriers beyond the internal photoemission limit

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