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Mix-dimensional heterojunctions (MDHJs) photodetectors (PDs) built from bulk and 2D materials are the research focus to develop hetero-integrated and multifunctional optoelectronic sensor systems. However, it is still an open issue for achieving multiple effects synergistic characteristics to boost sensitivity and enrich the prospect in artificial bionic systems. Herein, electrically tunable Te/WSe 2 MDHJs phototransistors are constructed, and an ultralow dark current below 0.1 pA and a large on/off rectification ratio of 10 6 is achieved. Photoconductive, photovoltaic, and photo-thermoelectric conversions are simultaneously demonstrated by tuning the gate and bias. By these synergistic effects, responsivity and detectivity respectively reach 13.9 A W -1 and 1.37 × 10 12 Jones with 400 times increment. The Te/WSe 2 MDHJs PDs can function as artificial bionic visual systems due to the comparable response time to those of the human visual system and the presence of transient positive and negative response signals. This work offers an available strategy for intelligent optoelectronic devices with hetero-integration and multifunctions., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The barrier structure is designed to enhance the operating temperature of the infrared detector, thereby improving the efficiency of collecting photogenerated carriers and reducing dark current generation, without suppressing the photocurrent. However, the development of barrier detectors using conventional materials is limited due to the strict requirements for lattice and band matching. In this study, a high-performance unipolar barrier detector is designed utilizing a black arsenic phosphorus/molybdenum disulfide/black phosphorus van der Waals heterojunction. The device exhibits a broad response bandwidth ranging from visible light to mid-wave infrared (520 nm to 4.6 µm), with a blackbody detectivity of 2.7 × 10 10 cmHz -1/2 W -1 in the mid-wave infrared range at room temperature. Moreover, the optical absorption anisotropy of black arsenic phosphorus enables polarization resolution detection, achieving a polarization extinction ratio of 35.5 at 4.6 µm. Mid-wave infrared imaging of the device is successfully demonstrated at room temperature, highlighting the significant potential of barrier devices based on van der Waals heterojunctions in mid-wave infrared detection., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The utilization of hot carriers as a means to surpass the Shockley-Queasier limit represents a promising strategy for advancing highly efficient photovoltaic devices. Quantum dots, owing to their discrete energy states and limited multi-phonon cooling process, are regarded as one of the most promising materials. However, in practical implementations, the presence of numerous defects and discontinuities in colloidal quantum dot (CQD) films significantly curtails the transport distance of hot carriers. In this study, the harnessing of excess energies from hot-carriers is successfully demonstrated and a world-record carrier diffusion length of 15 µm is observed for the first time in colloidal systems, surpassing existing hot-carrier materials by more than tenfold. The observed phenomenon is attributed to the specifically designed honeycomb-like topological structures in a HgTe CQD superlattice, with its long-range periodicity confirmed by High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy(HR-TEM), Selected Area Electron Diffraction(SAED) patterns, and low-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD). In such a superlattice, nonlocal hot carrier transport is supported by three unique physical properties: the wavelength-independent responsivity, linear output characteristics and microsecond fast photoresponse. These findings underscore the potential of HgTe CQD superlattices as a feasible approach for efficient hot carrier collection, thereby paving the way for practical applications in highly sensitive photodetection and solar energy harvesting., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The realization of a controllable transparent conducting system with selective light transparency is crucial for exploring many of the most intriguing effects in top-illuminated optoelectronic devices. However, the performance is limited by insufficient electrical conductivity, low work function, and vulnerable interface of traditional transparent conducting materials, such as tin-doped indium oxide. Here, it is reported that two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 T x ) MXene film acts as an efficient transparent conducting electrode for the lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) photodiode with controllable near infrared transmittance. The solution-processed interface engineering of MXene and PbS layers remarkably reduces the interface defects of MXene/PbS CQDs and the carrier concentration in the PbS layer. The stable Ti 3 C 2 T x /PbS CQDs photodiodes give rise to a high specific detectivity of 5.51 × 10 12  cm W -1  Hz 1/2 , a large dynamic response range of 140 dB, and a large bandwidth of 0.76 MHz at 940 nm in the self-powered state, ranking among the most exceptional in terms of comprehensive performance among reported PbS CQDs photodiodes. In contrast with the traditional photodiode technologies, this efficient and stable approach opens a new horizon to construct widely used infrared photodiodes with CQDs and MXenes., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

With the continuous advancement of nanofabrication techniques, development of novel materials, and discovery of useful manipulation mechanisms in high-performance applications, especially photodetectors, the morphology of junction devices and the way junction devices are used are fundamentally revolutionized. Simultaneously, new types of photodetectors that do not rely on any junction, providing a high signal-to-noise ratio and multidimensional modulation, have also emerged. This review outlines a unique category of material systems supporting novel junction devices for high-performance detection, namely, the van der Waals materials, and systematically discusses new trends in the development of various types of devices beyond junctions. This field is far from mature and there are numerous methods to measure and evaluate photodetectors. Therefore, it is also aimed to provide a solution from the perspective of applications in this review. Finally, based on the insight into the unique properties of the material systems and the underlying microscopic mechanisms, emerging trends in junction devices are discussed, a new morphology of photodetectors is proposed, and some potential innovative directions in the subject area are suggested., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Robust room-temperature interfacial ferroelectricity has been formed in the 2D limit by simply twisting two atomic layers of non-ferroelectric hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). A thorough understanding of this newly discovered ferroelectric system is required. Here, twisted hBN is used as a tunneling junction and it is studied at the nanometer scale using conductive atomic force microscopy. Three properties unique to this system are discovered. First, the polarization dependence of the tunneling resistance contrasts with the conventional theory. Second, the ferroelectric domains can be controlled using mechanical stress, highlighting the original meaning of the emergent "slidetronics". Third, ferroelectric hysteresis is highly spatially dependent. The hysteresis is symmetric at the domain walls. A few nanometers away, the hysteresis shifts completely to the positive or negative side, depending on the original polarization. These findings reveal the unconventional ferroelectricity in this 2D system., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A neuromorphic visual system integrating optoelectronic synapses to perform the in-sensor computing is triggering a revolution due to the reduction of latency and energy consumption. Here it is demonstrated that the dwell time of photon-generated carriers in the space-charge region can be effectively extended by embedding a potential well on the shoulder of Schottky energy barrier. It permits the nonlinear interaction of photocurrents stimulated by spatiotemporal optical signals, which is necessary for in-sensor reservoir computing (RC). The machine vision with the sensor reservoir constituted by designed self-powered Au/P(VDF-TrFE)/Cs 2 AgBiBr 6 /ITO devices is competent for both static and dynamic vision tasks. It shows an accuracy of 99.97% for face classification and 100% for dynamic vehicle flow recognition. The in-sensor RC system takes advantage of near-zero energy consumption in the reservoir, resulting in decades-time lower training costs than a conventional neural network. This work paves the way for ultralow-power machine vision using photonic devices., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Photodetectors built from conventional bulk materials such as silicon, III-V or II-VI compound semiconductors are one of the most ubiquitous types of technology in use today. The past decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in interest in emerging photodetectors based on perovskite materials driven by the growing demands for uncooled, low-cost, lightweight, and even flexible photodetection technology. Though perovskite has good electrical and optical properties, perovskite-based photodetectors always suffer from nonideal quantum efficiency and high-power consumption. Joint manipulation of electrons and photons in perovskite photodetectors is a promising strategy to improve detection efficiency. In this review, electrical and optical characteristics of typical types of perovskite photodetectors are first summarized. Electrical manipulations of electrons in perovskite photodetectors are discussed. Then, artificial photonic nanostructures for photon manipulations are detailed to improve light absorption efficiency. By reviewing the manipulation of electrons and photons in perovskite photodetectors, this review aims to provide strategies to achieve high-performance photodetectors., (© 2021 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

MoS 2 , one of the most valued 2D materials beyond graphene, shows potential for future applications in postsilicon digital electronics and optoelectronics. However, achieving hole transport in MoS 2 , which is dominated by electron transport, is always a challenge. Here, MoS 2 transistors gated by electrolyte gel exhibit the characteristics of hole and electron transport, a high on/off ratio over 10 5 , and a low subthreshold swing below 50 mV per decade. Due to the electrolyte gel, the density of electrons and holes in the MoS 2 channel reaches ≈9 × 10 13 and 8.85 × 10 13 cm -2 , respectively. The electrolyte gel-assisted MoS 2 phototransistor exhibits adjustable positive and negative photoconductive effects. Additionally, the MoS 2 p-n homojunction diode affected by electrolyte gel shows high performance and a rectification ratio over 10 7 . These results demonstrate that modifying the conductance of MoS 2 through electrolyte gel has great potential in highly integrated electronics and optoelectronic photodetectors., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The ultrabroadband spectrum detection from ultraviolet (UV) to long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) is promising for diversified optoelectronic applications of imaging, sensing, and communication. However, the current LWIR-detecting devices suffer from low photoresponsivity, high cost, and cryogenic environment. Herein, a high-performance ultrabroadband photodetector is demonstrated with detecting range from UV to LWIR based on air-stable nonlayered ultrathin Fe 3 O 4 nanosheets synthesized via a space-confined chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Ultrahigh photoresponsivity (R) of 561.2 A W -1 , external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 6.6 × 10 3 %, and detectivity (D*) of 7.42 × 10 8 Jones are achieved at the wavelength of 10.6 µm. The multimechanism synergistic effect of photoconductive effect and bolometric effect demonstrates the high sensitivity for light with any light intensities. The outstanding device performance and complementary mixing photoresponse mechanisms open up new potential applications of nonlayered 2D materials for future infrared optoelectronic devices., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Doped p-n junctions are fundamental electrical components in modern electronics and optoelectronics. Due to the development of device miniaturization, the emergence of two-dimensional (2D) materials may initiate the next technological leap toward the post-Moore era owing to their unique structures and physical properties. The purpose of fabricating 2D p-n junctions has fueled many carrier-type modulation methods, such as electrostatic doping, surface modification, and element intercalation. Here, by using the nonvolatile ferroelectric field polarized in the opposite direction, efficient carrier modulation in ambipolar molybdenum telluride (MoTe 2 ) to form a p-n homojunction at the domain wall is demonstrated. The nonvolatile MoTe 2 p-n junction can be converted to n-p, n-n, and p-p configurations by external gate voltage pulses. Both rectifier diodes exhibited excellent rectifying characteristics with a current on/off ratio of 5 × 10 5 . As a photodetector/photovoltaic, the device presents responsivity of 5 A W -1 , external quantum efficiency of 40%, specific detectivity of 3 × 10 12 Jones, fast response time of 30 µs, and power conversion efficiency of 2.5% without any bias or gate voltages. The MoTe 2 p-n junction presents an obvious short-wavelength infrared photoresponse at room temperature, complementing the current infrared photodetectors with the inadequacies of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor incompatibility and cryogenic operation temperature., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) based photodetectors have shown great potential for the next generation optoelectronics. However, most of the reported MoS 2 photodetectors function under the photogating effect originated from the charge-trap mechanism, which is difficult for quantitative control. Such devices generally suffer from a poor compromise between response speed and responsivity (R) and large dark current. Here, a dual-gated (DG) MoS 2 phototransistor operating based on the interface coupling effect (ICE) is demonstrated. By simultaneously applying a negative top-gate voltage (V TG ) and positive back-gate voltage (V BG ) to the MoS 2 channel, the photogenerated holes can be effectively trapped in the depleted region under TG. An ultrahigh R of ≈10 5 A W -1 and detectivity (D*) of ≈10 14 Jones are achieved in several devices with different thickness under P in of 53 µW cm -2 at V TG = -5 V. Moreover, the response time of the DG phototransistor can also be modulated based on the ICE. Based on these systematic measurements of MoS 2 DG phototransistors, the results show that the ICE plays an important role in the modulation of photoelectric performances. The results also pave the way for the future optoelectrical application of 2D TMDs materials and prompt for further investigation in the DG structured phototransistors., (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Broadening the spectral range of photodetectors is an essential topic in photonics. Traditional photodetectors are widely used; however, the realization of ultrabroad spectrum photodetectors remains a challenge. Here, a photodetector constructed by a hybrid quasi-freestanding structure of organic ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) with molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) is demonstrated. The 2D MoS 2 with the ultrathin structure brings a great benefit of heat dissipation for the pyroelectric infrared detector. By coupling the mechanisms of pyroelectrics, photoconductor, and phototransistor effect, an ultrabroad spectrum response ranging from ultraviolet (375 nm) to long-wavelength infrared (10 µm) is achieved. In the 2.76-10 µm spectral range, the 2D MoS 2 is used to read and amplify the photocurrent induced by the pyroelectric effect of P(VDF-TrFE). The sensitivity of the device in this spectral range is greatly enhanced. A high responsivity of 140 mA W -1 , an on/off photocurrent switching ratio up to 10 3 , and a quick response of 5.5 ms are achieved. Moreover, the ferroelectric polarization field dramatically enhances the photoconductive properties of MoS 2 and restrains dark current and noise. This approach constitutes a reliable route toward realizing high-performance photodetectors with a remarkable ultrabroad spectrum response, high responsivity, low power consumption, and room-temperature operation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE) is crucial for heteroepitaxy of covalence-bonded semiconductors on 2D layered materials because it is not subject to strict substrate requirements and the epitaxial materials can be transferred onto various substrates. However, planar film growth in covalence-bonded semiconductors remains a critical challenge of vdWE because of the extremely low surface energy of 2D materials. In this study, direct growth of wafer-scale single-crystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) films is achieved on 2D layered transparent mica through molecular beam epitaxy. The vdWE CdTe films exhibit a flat surface resulting from the 2D growth regime, and high crystal quality as evidenced by a low full width at half maximum of 0.05° for 120 nm thick films. A perfect lattice fringe appears at the interfaces, implying a fully relaxed state of the epitaxial CdTe films correlated closely to the unique nature of vdWE. Moreover, the vdWE CdTe photodetectors demonstrate not only ultrasensitive optoelectronic response with optimal responsivity of 834 A W -1 and ultrahigh detectivity of 2.4 × 10 14 Jones but also excellent mechanical flexibility and durability, indicating great potential in flexible and wearable devices., (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Due to the large gap in timescale between volatile memory and nonvolatile memory technologies, quasi-nonvolatile memory based on 2D materials has become a viable technology for filling the gap. By exploiting the elaborate energy band structure of 2D materials, a quasi-nonvolatile memory with symmetric ultrafast write-1 and erase-0 speeds and long refresh time is reported. Featuring the 2D semifloating gate architecture, an extrinsic p-n junction is used to charge or discharge the floating gate. Owing to the direct injection or recombination of charges from the floating gate electrode, the erasing speed is greatly enhanced to nanosecond timescale. Combined with the ultrafast write-1 speed, symmetric ultrafast operations on the nanosecond timescale are achieved, which are ≈10 6 times faster than other memories based on 2D materials. In addition, the refresh time after a write-1 operation is 219 times longer than that of dynamic random access memory. This performance suggests that quasi-nonvolatile memory has great potential to decrease power consumption originating from frequent refresh operations, and usher in the next generation of high-speed and low-power memory technology., (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Atomic thin transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are considered as an emerging platform to build next-generation semiconductor devices. However, to date most devices are still based on exfoliated TMD sheets on a micrometer scale. Here, a novel chemical vapor deposition synthesis strategy by introducing multilayer (ML) MoS 2 islands to improve device performance is proposed. A four-probe method is applied to confirm that the contact resistance decreases by one order of magnitude, which can be attributed to a conformal contact by the extra amount of exposed edges from the ML-MoS 2 islands. Based on such continuous MoS 2 films synthesized on a 2 in. insulating substrate, a top-gated field effect transistor (FET) array is fabricated to explore key metrics such as threshold voltage (V T ) and field effect mobility (μ FE ) for hundreds of MoS 2 FETs. The statistical results exhibit a surprisingly low variability of these parameters. An average effective μ FE of 70 cm 2 V -1 s -1 and subthreshold swing of about 150 mV dec -1 are extracted from these MoS 2 FETs, which are comparable to the best top-gated MoS 2 FETs achieved by mechanical exfoliation. The result is a key step toward scaling 2D-TMDs into functional systems and paves the way for the future development of 2D-TMDs integrated circuits., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Benefiting from the technique of vertically stacking 2D layered materials (2DLMs), an advanced novel device architecture based on a top-gated MoS 2 /WSe 2 van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructure is designed. By adopting a self-aligned metal screening layer (Pd) to the WSe 2 channel, a fixed p-doped state of the WSe 2 as well as an independent doping control of the MoS 2 channel can be achieved, thus guaranteeing an effective energy-band offset modulation and large through current. In such a device, under specific top-gate voltages, a sharp PN junction forms at the edge of the Pd layer and can be effectively manipulated. By varying top-gate voltages, the device can be operated under both quasi-Esaki diode and unipolar-Zener diode modes with tunable current modulations. A maximum gate-coupling efficiency as high as ≈90% and a subthreshold swing smaller than 60 mV dec -1 can be achieved under the band-to-band tunneling regime. The superiority of the proposed device architecture is also confirmed by comparison with a traditional heterostructure device. This work demonstrates the feasibility of a new device structure based on vdWs heterostructures and its potential in future low-power electronic and optoelectronic device applications.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanosheets have demonstrated outstanding electrical and optical properties, which are well suited for ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors. However, they have a high density of intrinsically unfilled traps, and it is difficult to achieve p-type doping, leading to the poor performance for low light level switching ratio and a high dark current that limit practical applications in UV photodetection. Here, UV photodetectors based on ZnO nanosheets are demonstrated, whose performance is significantly improved by using a ferroelectric localized field. Specifically, the photodetectors have achieved a responsivity of up to 3.8 × 10 5 A W -1 , a detectivity of 4.4 × 10 15 Jones, and a photocurrent gain up to 1.24 × 10 6 . These device figures of merit are far beyond those of traditional ZnO ultraviolet photodetectors. In addition, the devices' initial dark current can be easily restored after continuous photocurrent measurement by using a positive gate voltage pulse. This study establishes a new approach to produce high-sensitivity and low-dark-current ultraviolet photodetectors and presents a crucial step for further practical applications., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Van der Waals heterostructures based on 2D layered materials have received wide attention for their multiple applications in optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells, light-emitting devices, and photodiodes. In this work, high-performance photovoltaic photodetectors based on MoTe 2 /MoS 2 vertical heterojunctions are demonstrated by exfoliating-restacking approach. The fundamental electric properties and band structures of the junction are revealed and analyzed. It is shown that this kind of photodetectors can operate under zero bias with high on/off ratio (>10 5 ) and ultralow dark current (≈3 pA). Moreover, a fast response time of 60 µs and high photoresponsivity of 46 mA W -1 are also attained at room temperature. The junctions based on 2D materials are expected to constitute the ultimate functional elements of nanoscale electronic and optoelectronic applications., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have drawn tremendous attention in recent years. Being atomically thin, stacked with van der Waals force and free of surface chemical dangling bonds, 2D materials exhibit several distinct physical properties. To date, 2D materials include graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDS), black phosphorus, black P (1- x ) As x , boron nitride (BN) and so forth. Owing to their various bandgaps, 2D materials have been utilized for photonics and optoelectronics. Photodetectors based on 2D materials with different structures and detection mechanisms have been established and present excellent performance. In this Review, localized field enhanced 2D material photodetectors (2DPDs) are introduced with sensitivity over the spectrum from ultraviolet, visible to infrared in the sight of the influence of device structure on photodetector performance instead of directly illustrating the detection mechanisms. Six types of localized fields are summarized. They are: ferroelectric field, photogating electric field, floating gate induced electrostatic field, interlayer built-in field, localized optical field, and photo-induced temperature gradient field, respectively. These localized fields are proved to effectively promote the detection ability of 2DPDs by suppressing background noise, enhancing optical absorption, improving electron-hole separation efficiency, amplifying photoelectric gain and/or extending the detection range., (© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Atomic crystal charge trap memory, as a new concept of nonvolatile memory, possesses an atomic level flatness interface, which makes them promising candidates for replacing conventional FLASH memory in the future. Here, a 2D material WSe 2 and a 3D Al 2 O 3 /HfO 2 /Al 2 O 3 charge-trap stack are combined to form a charge-trap memory device with a separation of control gate and memory stack. In this device, the charges are erased/written by built-in electric field, which significantly enhances the write speed to 1 µs. More importantly, owing to the elaborate design of the energy band structure, the memory only captures electrons with a large electron memory window over 20 V and trap selectivity about 13, both of them are the state-of-the-art values ever reported in FLASH memory based on 2D materials. Therefore, it is demonstrated that high-performance charge trap memory based on WSe 2 without the fatal overerase issue in conventional FLASH memory can be realized to practical application., (© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An advanced visible/infrared dual-band photodetector with high-resolution imaging at room temperature is proposed and demonstrated for intelligent identification based on the 2D GaSe/GaSb vertical heterostructure. It resolves the challenges of producing large-scale 2D growth, achieving fast response speed, outstanding detectivity, and lower manufacture cost, which are the main obstacles for industrialization of 2D-materials-based photodetection., (© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A new type of ferroelectric FET based on the single nanowire is demonstrated. The design of the side-gated architecture not only simplifies the manufacturing process but also avoids any postdeposition damage to the organic ferroelectric film. The devices exhibit excellent performances for nonvolatile memory applications, and the memory hysteresis can be effectively modulated by adjusting the side-gate geometries.

A top-gated MoS2 transistor with 6 nm thick HfO2 is fabricated using an ozone pretreatment. The influence to the top-gated mobility brought about by the deposition of HfO2 is studied statistically, for the first time. The top-gated mobility is suppressed by the deposition of HfO2 , and multilayered samples are less susceptible than monolayer ones., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A few-layer MoS2 photodetector driven by poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) ferroelectrics is achieved. The detectivity and responsitivity are up to 2.2 × 10(12) Jones and 2570 A W(-1), respectively, at 635 nm with ZERO gate bias. E(g) of MoS2 is tuned by the ultrahigh electrostatic field from the ferroelectric polarization. The photoresponse wavelengths of the photodetector are extended into the near-infrared (0.85-1.55 μm)., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)