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The functional diversities of two-dimensional (2D) material devices with simple architectures are ultimately limited by immature doping techniques. An alternative strategy is to use geometry-asymmetric metal-semiconductor-metal (GA-MSM) structures, which enable the basic functions of semiconductor junctions such as rectification and photovoltaics. Here, the mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures (MDvdWHs) based on the separation and self-assembly of p-type SnS layered nanosheets (NSs) and n-type SnS

By incorporating organic BHJ onto graphene, graphene/ZnO/PTB7-Th:IEICO-4F shows gate tunable photodetection/photostorage switching features for the implementation of both retinomorphic vision and memorial preprocessing functions.

Reconfigurable image sensors for the recognition and understanding of real-world objects are now becoming an essential part of machine vision technology. The neural network image sensor — which mimics neurobiological functions of the human retina —has recently been demonstrated to simultaneously sense and process optical images. However, highly tunable responsivity concurrently with non-volatile storage of image data in the neural network would allow a transformative leap in compactness and function of these artificial neural networks (ANNs) that truly function like a human retina. Here, we demonstrate a reconfigurable and non-volatile neuromorphic device based on two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting metal sulfides (MoS2 and WS2) that is concurrently a photovoltaic detector. The device is based on a metal/semiconductor/metal (M/S/M) two-terminal structure with pulse-tunable sulfur vacancies at the M/S junctions. By modulating sulfur vacancy concentrations, the polarities of short-circuit photocurrent —can be changed with multiple stable magnitudes. Device characterizations and modeling reveal that the bias-induced motion of sulfur vacancies leads to highly reconfigurable responsivities by dynamically modulating the Schottky barriers. A convolutional neuromorphic network (CNN) is finally designed for image process and object detection using the same device. The results demonstrated the two-terminal reconfigurable and non-volatile photodetectors can be used for future optoelectronics devices based on coupled Ionic-optical-electronic effects for Neuromorphic computing.

A zirconium trisulfide (ZrS3)-based infrared photodetector with the assistance of synergistic effects of extrinsic photoconduction and photogating shows wideband detection and enhanced responsivity.

With the advent of the Internet of Things era, the detection and recognition of moving objects is becoming increasingly important1. The current motion detection and recognition (MDR) technology based on the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors (CIS) platform contains redundant sensing, transmission conversion, processing and memory modules, rendering the existing systems bulky and inefficient in comparison to the human retina. Until now, non-memory capable vision sensors have only been used for static targets, rather than MDR. Here, we present a retina-inspired two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure based retinomorphic hardware device with all-in-one perception, memory and computing capabilities for the detection and recognition of moving trolleys. The proposed 2D retinomorphic device senses an optical stimulus to generate progressively tuneable positive/negative photoresponses and memorizes it, combined with interframe differencing computations, to achieve 100% separation detection of moving trichromatic trolleys without ghosting. The detected motion images are fed into a conductance mapped neural network to achieve fast trolley recognition in as few as four training epochs at 10% noise level, outperforming previous results from similar customized datasets. The prototype demonstration of a 2D retinomorphic device with integrated perceptual memory and computation provides the possibility of building compact, efficient MDR hardware. A retina-inspired two-dimensional material based retinomorphic device exhibits all-in-one perception, memory and computing capabilities for motion detection and recognition.

The exotic electronic properties of topological semimetals (TSs) have opened new pathways for innovative photonic and optoelectronic devices, especially in the highly pursuit terahertz (THz) band. However, in most cases Dirac fermions lay far above or below the Fermi level, thus hindering their successful exploitation for the low-energy photonics. Here, low-energy type-II Dirac fermions in kitkaite (NiTeSe) for ultrasensitive THz detection through metal-topological semimetal-metal heterostructures are exploited. Furthermore, a heterostructure combining two Dirac materials, namely, graphene and NiTeSe, is implemented for a novel photodetector exhibiting a responsivity as high as 1.22 A W

Conventional artificial-intelligence (AI) machine vision technology, based on the von Neumann architecture, uses separate computing and storage units to process the huge amounts of vision data generated in sensory terminals. The frequent movement of redundant data between sensors, processors and memory, however, results in high-power consumption and latency. A more efficient approach is to shift some tasks of the memory and computational to sensory elements which can perceive and process optical signal simultaneously. Here, we proposed a non-volatile photo-memristor, in which reconfigurable responsivity can be modulated by charge and/or photon flux through it and further stored in the device. The non-volatile photo-memristors consist of simple two-terminal architecture, in which photoexcited carriers and oxygen-related ions are coupled, leading to a displaced and pinched hysteresis of current-voltage characteristics. The non-volatile photo-memristors sets first implemented computationally complete logic for the photoresponse-stateful logic operations, for which the same photo-memristor serves simultaneously as logic gates and memory unit that uses photoresponse instead of light, voltage and memresistance as the physical state variable. Further changing the polarity of photo-memristors demonstrate great potential for in-memory sensing and computing with feature extraction and image recognition for neuromorphic vision processing.

Intelligent systems have brought convenience to contemporary society. However, latency and poor-efficiency have been urgent problems for intelligence systems. Here, an infrared (IR) intelligent system fusing a non-contact IR thermopile sensor array fabricated by microelectromechanical system technology and an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm is proposed, with the characteristics of high-efficiency and low-latency. The system is based on a designed near-sensor computing architecture, which can realize computing directly on edge devices without sending data to the cloud, resulting in reduced redundant data and decreased latency. The responsivity of the sensors affects the weight accuracy and computing speed of the ANN algorithm and further influences the accuracy and efficiency of the system. Transfer of graphene oxide (GO) material to the IR thermopile sensors with a proposed location transfer method is suggested to enhance the responsivity. The responsivity of the IR thermopiles with GO is up to 705.1 V/W, which is enhanced by 85.9% compared to that without GO. The system is applied to gesture recognition to study practicality. The recognition accuracy of the system with GO is 100%. This work provides an effective idea for studying a high-accuracy IR intelligent sensing system.

With strikingly high speed, data retention ability and storage density, resistive RAMs have emerged as a forerunning nonvolatile memory. Here we developed a Re-RAM with ultra-high density array of monocrystalline perovskite quantum wires (QWs) as the switching matrix with a metallic silver conducting pathway. The devices demonstrated high ON/OFF ratio of ∼107 and ultra-fast switching speed of ∼100 ps which is among the fastest in literature. The devices also possess long retention time of over 2 years and record high endurance of ∼6 × 106 cycles for all perovskite Re-RAMs reported. As a concept proof, we have also successfully demonstrated a flexible Re-RAM crossbar array device with a metal-semiconductor-insulator-metal design for sneaky path mitigation, which can store information with long retention. Aggressive downscaling to ∼14 nm lateral dimension produced an ultra-small cell effectively having 76.5 nm2 area for single bit storage. Furthermore, the devices also exhibited unique optical programmability among the low resistance states.

A single biological neuron can efficiently perform Boolean operations. Artificial neuromorphic systems, on the other hand, typically require several devices to complete a single operation. Here, we show that neuristors that exploit the intrinsic polarity of two-dimensional materials can perform logic operations in a single device. XNOR gates can be made using ambipolar tungsten diselenide (WSe2), NOR gates using p-type black phosphorus, and OR and AND gates using n-type molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) of different thicknesses. To illustrate the potential of the neuristors, we fabricate logic half-adder and parity-checker circuits using a WSe2 neuristor and a MoS2 neuristor in a two-transistor two-resistor configuration, offering an area saving of 78% compared to circuits based on MoS2 gates in a traditional design. We also propose a binary neural network that is based on a three-dimensional XNOR array, which simulations show should offer an energy efficiency of 622.35 tera-operations per second per watt and a power consumption of 7.31 mW. By using two-dimensional materials with different polarities, single neuristors can act as XNOR, NOR, OR and AND logic gates.

Two-dimensional (2D) infrared photodetectors always suffer from low quantum efficiency (QE) because of the limited atomically thin absorption. Here, we reported 2D black phosphorus (BP)/Bi 2 O 2 Se van der Waals (vdW) photodetectors with momentum-matching and band-alignment heterostructures to achieve high QE. The QE was largely improved by optimizing the generation, suppressing the recombination, and improving the collection of photocarriers. Note that momentum-matching BP/Bi 2 O 2 Se heterostructures in k -space lead to the highly efficient generation and transition of photocarriers. The recombination process can be largely suppressed by lattice mismatching–immune vdW interfaces. Furthermore, type II BP/Bi 2 O 2 Se vdW heterostructures could also assist fast transport and collection of photocarriers. By constructing momentum-matching and band-alignment heterostructures, a record-high QE of 84% at 1.3 micrometers and 76.5% at 2 micrometers have been achieved in BP/Bi 2 O 2 Se vdW photodetectors.

Room-temperature-operating highly sensitive mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) photodetectors are utilized in a large number of important applications, including night vision, communications, and optical radar. Many previous studies have demonstrated uncooled MWIR photodetectors using 2D narrow-bandgap semiconductors. To date, most of these works have utilized atomically thin flakes, simple van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, or atomically thin p-n junctions as absorbers, which have difficulty in meeting the requirements for state-of-the-art MWIR photodetectors with a blackbody response. Here, a fully depleted self-aligned MoS

Unipolar barrier structures are used to suppress dark current in photodetectors by blocking majority carriers. Designing unipolar barriers with conventional materials is challenging due to the strict requirements of lattice and band matching. Two-dimensional materials have self-passivated surfaces and tunable band structures, and can thus be used to design unipolar barriers in which lattice mismatch and interface defects are avoided. Here, we show that band-engineered van der Waals heterostructures can be used to build visible and mid-wavelength infrared unipolar barrier photodetectors. Our nBn unipolar barrier photodetectors, which are based on a tungsten disulfide/hexagonal boron nitride/palladium diselenide heterostructure, exhibit a low dark current of 15 pA, a photocurrent of 20 μA and a detectivity of 2.7 × 1012 cm Hz1/2 W−1. Our pBp unipolar barrier photodetectors, which are based on a black phosphorus/molybdenum disulfide/graphene heterostructure, exhibit a room-temperature detectivity of 2.3 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W−1 in the mid-wavelength infrared region under blackbody radiation. The pBp devices also show a dichroic ratio of 4.9 under blackbody radiation, and a response time of 23 μs under 2 μm laser illumination. Band-engineered van der Waals heterostructures that block dark current without suppressing photocurrent can be used to build detectors with high room-temperature detectivity for visible light and blackbody infrared light.

The H$\alpha$ equivalent width (EW) is an observational proxy for specific star formation rate (sSFR) and a tracer of episodic star-formation activity. Previous assessments show that EW strongly anti-correlates with stellar mass as $M^{-0.25}$ similar to the sSFR -- stellar mass relation. However, such a correlation may be driven/formed by selection effects. In this study, we investigate how H$\alpha$ EWs correlate with galaxy properties and how selection biases could alter such correlations using a $z = 0.47$ narrowband-selected sample of 1572 H$\alpha$ emitters from the Ly$\alpha$ Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) survey. The sample covers 3 deg$^2$ of COSMOS and $1.1\times10^5$ cMpc$^3$. We assume an intrinsic EW distribution to form mock samples of H$\alpha$ emitters (HAEs) and propagate the selection criteria to match observations, giving us control on how selection biases can affect the underlying results. We find EW intrinsically correlates with stellar mass as $W_0 \propto M^{-0.16\pm0.03}$ and decreases by a factor of $\sim 3$ from $10^{7}$ to $10^{10}$ M$_\odot$. We find low-mass HAEs to be $\sim 320$ times more likely to have rest-frame EW$ > 200$\AA compared to high-mass HAEs. Combining the intrinsic EW -- stellar mass correlation with an observed SMF correctly reproduces the observed H$\alpha$ LF, while not correcting for selection effects underestimates the number of bright HAEs. This suggests that the intrinsic EW -- stellar mass correlation is physically significant and reproduces three statistical distributions of galaxy populations (LF, SMF, EW distribution). At lower masses, we find there are more high-EW outliers compared to high masses, even after taking into account selection effects. Our results suggest that high sSFR outliers indicative of bursty SF activity are intrinsically more prevalent in low-mass HAEs and not a byproduct of selection effects., Comment: 21 Pages, 13 Figures, 2 Tables, accepted to MNRAS

As one of the most important narrow bandgap ternary semiconductors, GaAs1−xSbx nanowires (NWs) have attracted extensive attention recently, due to the superior hole mobility and the tunable bandgap, which covers the whole near-infrared (NIR) region, for technological applications in next-generation high-performance electronics and NIR photodetection. However, it is still a challenge to the synthesis of high-quality GaAs1−xSbx NWs across the entire range of composition, resulting in the lack of correlation investigation among stoichiometry, microstructure, electronics, and NIR photodetection. Here, we demonstrate the success growth of high-quality GaAs1−xSbx NWs with full composition range by adopting a simple and low-cost surfactant-assisted solid source chemical vapor deposition method. All of the as-prepared NWs are uniform, smooth, and straight, without any phase segregation in all stoichiometric compositions. The lattice constants of each NW composition have been well correlated with the chemical stoichiometry and confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectrum. Moreover, with the increase of Sb concentration, the hole mobility of the as-fabricated field-effect-transistors and the responsivity and detectivity of the as-fabricated NIR photodetectors increase accordingly. All the results suggest a careful stoichiometric design is required for achieving optimal NW device performances.

The superior optical and electronic properties of the two-dimensional (2D) rhenium disulfide (ReS2) makes it suitable for nanoelectronic and optoelectronic applications. However, the internal defects coupled with with the low mobility and light-absorbing capability of ReS2 impede its utilization in high-performance photodetectors. Fabrication of mixed-dimensional heterojunctions is an alternative method for designing high-performance hybrid photodetectors. This study proposes a mixed-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterojunction photodetector, containing high-performance one-dimensional (1D) p-type tellurium (Te) and 2D n-type ReS2, developed by depositing Te nanowires on ReS2 nanoflake using the dry transfer method. It can improve the injection and separation efficiency of photoexcited electron-hole pairs due to the type II p-n heterojunction formed at the ReS2 and Te interface. The proposed heterojunction device is sensitive to visible-light sensitivity (632 nm) with an ultrafast photoresponse (5 ms), high responsivity (180 A/W), and specific detectivity (109), which is superior to the pristine Te and ReS2 photodetectors. As compared to the ReS2 device, the responsivity and response speed is better by an order of magnitude. These results demonstrate the fabrication and application potential of Te/ReS2 mixed-dimensional heterojunction for high-performance optoelectronic devices and sensors.

Protoclusters, the progenitors of the most massive structures in the Universe, have been identified at redshifts of up to 6.6. Besides exploring early structure formation, searching for protoclusters at even higher redshifts is particularly useful to probe the reionization. Here we report the discovery of the protocluster LAGER-z7OD1 at a redshift of 6.93, when the Universe was only 770 million years old and could be experiencing rapid evolution of the neutral hydrogen fraction in the intergalactic medium. The protocluster is identified by an overdensity of 6 times the average galaxy density, and with 21 narrowband selected Lyman-$\alpha$ galaxies, among which 16 have been spectroscopically confirmed. At redshifts similar to or above this record, smaller protogroups with fewer members have been reported. LAGER-z7OD1 shows an elongated shape and consists of two subprotoclusters, which would have merged into one massive cluster with a present-day mass of $3.7 \times 10^{15}$ solar masses. The total volume of the ionized bubbles generated by its member galaxies is found to be comparable to the volume of the protocluster itself, indicating that we are witnessing the merging of the individual bubbles and that the intergalactic medium within the protocluster is almost fully ionized. LAGER-z7OD1 thus provides a unique natural laboratory to investigate the reionization process., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, and 1 table. Accepted by Nature Astronomy

Light polarization could provide critical visual information (e.g., surface roughness, geometry, or orientation) of the imaged objects beyond prevailing signals of intensity and wavelength. The polarization imaging technology thus has a large potential in broad fields such as object detection. However, intricate polarization coding is often required in these fields, and the existing complicated lensed system and polarizers have limited the miniaturization capabilities of the integrated imaging sensor. In this study, we demonstrate the utilization of two-dimensional (2D) in-plane anisotropic α-GeSe semiconductor to realize the polarizer-free polarization-sensitive visible/near-infrared (VIS-NIR) photodetector/imager. As the key part of the sensor system, this prototype Au/GeSe/Au photodetector exhibits impressive performances in terms of high sensitivity, broad spectral response, and fast-speed operation (∼103 AW−1 400–1050 nm, and 22.7/49.5 µs). Further, this device demonstrates unique polarization sensitivity in the spectral range of 690–1050 nm and broadband absorption of light polarized preferentially in the γ-direction, as predicted by the analysis of optical transition behavior in α-GeSe. Then we have successfully incorporated the 2D GeSe device into an imaging system for the polarization imaging and captured the polarization information of the radiant target with a high contrast ratio of 3.45 at 808 nm (NIR band). This proposed imager reveals the ability to sense dual-band polarization signals in the scene without polarizers and paves the way for polarimetric imaging sensor arrays for advanced applications.

Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit enormous potential in photodetectors because of novel and extraordinary properties, such as passivated surfaces, tunable bandgaps, and high mobility. High-performance photodetectors based on 2D materials have been fabricated for broadband, position, polarization-sensitive detection, and large-area array imaging. However, the current performance of 2D material photodetectors is not outstanding enough, including response speed, detectivity, and so forth. The way to further promote the development of 2D material photodetectors and their corresponding practical applications is still a tremendous challenge. In this article, these issues of 2D material photodetectors are analyzed and expected to be solved by combining micro-nano characterization technologies. The inherent physical properties of 2D materials and photodetectors can be accurately characterized by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scattering scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM). In particular, the precise probe of lattice defects, doping concentration, and near-field light absorption characteristics can promote the researches of low-noise and high-responsivity photodetectors. Scanning photocurrent microscope (SPCM) can show the overall spatial distribution of photocurrent and analyze the mechanism of photocurrent. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and Kelvin probe force microscope (KPFM) can characterize the material bandgap, work function distribution and interlayer coupling characteristics, making it possible to design high-performance photodetectors through energy band engineering. These advanced characterization techniques cover the entire process from material growth, to device preparation, and to performance analysis, and systematically reveal the development status of 2D material photodetectors. Finally, the prospects and challenges are discussed to promote the application of 2D material photodetectors.

New-generation infrared detectors call for higher operation temperature and polarization sensitivity. For traditional HgCdTe infrared detectors, the additional polarization optics and cryogenic cooling are necessary to achieve high-performance infrared polarization detection, while they can complicate this system and limit the integration. Here, a mixed-dimensional HgCdTe/black phosphorous van der Waals heterojunction photodiode is proposed for polarization-sensitive midwave infrared photodetection. Benefiting from van der Waals integration, type III broken-gap band alignment heterojunctions are achieved. Anisotropy optical properties of black phosphorous bring polarization sensitivity from visible light to midwave infrared without external optics. Our devices show an outstanding performance at room temperature without applied bias, with peak blackbody detectivity as high as 7.93 × 10 10 cm Hz 1/2 W −1 and average blackbody detectivity over 2.1 × 10 10 cm Hz 1/2 W −1 in midwave infrared region. This strategy offers a possible practical solution for next-generation infrared detector with high operation temperature, high performance, and multi-information acquisition.

Bi2O2 Se has attracted a great deal of attention in optoelectronic applications due to its high mobility, sensitivity and long-term ambient stability. Here, we fabricate high-performance Bi2O2 Se phototransistors with a maximum photoresponsivity of 27592 A/W under 532 nm illumination using Au contacts, where two back-to-back Schottky barriers (SBs) are formed, leading to photovoltaic effect. SB formation is believed to be attributed as the main contributing factor to the photoresponse of this metal semiconductor structure with a fastest response time of $\sim 24~\mu \text{s}$ . Our work demonstrates that Bi2O2 Se/Au-based phototransistors have promising potential in photodetection applications.

Next-generation polarized mid-infrared imaging systems generally requires miniaturization, integration, flexibility, good workability at room temperature and in severe environments, etc. Emerging two-dimensional materials provide another route to meet these demands, due to the ease of integrating on complex structures, their native in-plane anisotropy crystal structure for high polarization photosensitivity, and strong quantum confinement for excellent photodetecting performances at room temperature. However, polarized infrared imaging under scattering based on 2D materials has yet to be realized. Here we report the systematic investigation of polarized infrared imaging for a designed target obscured by scattering media using an anisotropic tellurium photodetector. Broadband sensitive photoresponse is realized at room temperature, with excellent stability without degradation under ambient atmospheric conditions. Significantly, a large anisotropic ratio of tellurium ensures polarized imaging in a scattering environment, with the degree of linear polarization over 0.8, opening up possibilities for developing next-generation polarized mid-infrared imaging technology., Photodetectors operating within scattering environment can be realized with anisotropic materials. Here, the authors report polarization sensitive photodetectors based on thin tellurium nanosheets with high photoresponsivity of 3.54 × 102 A/W, detectivity of ~3.01 × 109 Jones in the mid-infrared range and an anisotropic ratio of ∼8 for 2.3 μm illumination to ensure polarized imaging.

The performance of the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) HgCdTe photodetectors with nBn structure is susceptible to the thickness of barrier layer and the huge mismatch of the energy band between the barrier layer and the absorption layer. Herein, a numerical simulation analysis for LWIR HgCdTe nBn device is carried out to present an enhanced performance with optimized structural and physical parameters (including thickness, doping concentration, and composition). The results provide that the valence band-offset (VBO) could be reduced by structure optimization, and could greatly improve the transport properties of photogenerated carriers. In addition, the effect of composition diffusion caused by the annealing process has also been studied to demonstrate that larger composition diffusion leads to a much higher dark current. The model and calculation results established in this article can provide important theoretical support and guidance for further researches of LWIR HgCdTe nBn devices.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite (OIHP) photodetectors that simultaneously achieve an ultrafast response and high sensitivity in the near-infrared (NIR) region are prerequisites for expanding current monitoring, imaging, and optical communication capbilities. Herein, we demonstrate photodetectors constructed by OIHP and an organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) consisting of a low-bandgap nonfullerene and polymer, which achieve broadband response spectra up to 1 μm with a highest external quantum efficiency of approximately 54% at 850 nm, an ultrafast response speed of 5.6 ns and a linear dynamic range (LDR) of 191 dB. High sensitivity, ultrafast speed and a large LDR are preeminent prerequisites for the practical application of photodetectors. Encouragingly, due to the high-dynamic-range imaging capacity, high-quality visible-NIR actual imaging is achieved by employing the OIHP photodetectors. We believe that state-of-the-art OIHP photodetectors can accelerate the translation of solution-processed photodetector applications from the laboratory to the imaging market., Perovskites peer into near-infrared Novel photodetectors developed by researchers in China provide imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) region with record-breaking efficiency and speed. A new class of semiconducting materials called organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) display excellent optical and electrical properties for thin-film solar cells, LEDs and light detectors. To expand their detection range to NIR, which is useful for biomedical applications, OIHPs can be combined with structures called organic bulk-heterojunctions (BHJs). Now, Weida Hu, Liang Shen and co-workers at Jilin University, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University have designed new OIHP-BHJ photodetectors that efficiently detect a wide range of both visible and NIR radiation. Their prototype sensors have ultra-fast response times of just 5.6 nanoseconds and remain sensitive even in low brightness, suggesting that they could accelerate the movement of OIHP devices from lab tests to commercial imaging.

In this article, the performance of midwavelength infrared (MWIR) HgCdTe electron avalanche photodiodes (e-APDs) with variable annealing processes and guard ring design is investigated. Carrier distribution in the device is performed by simulation methods to better understand the mercury interstitial dynamic transport mechanism. It is found that the device with suitable annealing time can effectively reduce the dark current while maintaining the bandwidth at a high level. Surface leakage current and the effect of guard ring design in ion implanted-type HgCdTe e-APDs are clarified by the electric-field distribution. The simulated results show that the dark current, excess noise factor, and mean square noise can be decreased with a guard ring design. In addition, the temperature-dependent performance of HgCdTe e-APD with guard ring is simulated, indicating optimization operating window. This article demonstrates the significance of guard ring designs for HgCdTe APDs, and the simulation method will provide an effective way to determine the source of the current generation mechanism.

In-plane anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) materials with asymmetric lattices are potential candidates for high performance polarized photodetection, which provides much richer optical information than conventional photodetection, such as polarization, azimuth, and ellipticity of the targets. Herein, non-layer structured ZnSb was grown into 2D nanostructures and used to fabricate room-temperature infrared polarized photodetectors. Studies found that the synthesized 2D ZnSb nanoplates exhibited strong in-plane electrical and optical anisotropy due to the low-symmetry crystal structure. The angle-resolved electronic and incident polarization photoelectric measurements confirmed high anisotropic conductivity and linear polarization sensitivity of the ZnSb nanoplates, which are consistent with the theoretical calculations.

The development of new and multi-functional synaptic transistors has become a research highlight in brain science and brain-like intelligence technologies. Here, we report an optically and electrically modulated carbon nanotube synaptic transistor with a single input terminal and multi-functional output characteristics. The optoelectronic response characteristics of carbon nanotube synaptic transistors can be controlled by the pulsed optical and electrical signals via a lightly doped silicon gate electrode as the input terminal. Some important synaptic behaviors including low-pass filtering and non-volatile memory performance were investigated after training by pulsed light and/or voltage stimulations. High neural activities with multiple input and output performances, such as excitatory, inhibitory and logic behaviour (NOR logic gate), were also observed by simultaneously programming the optical and electrical stimulations. As far as we know, this is the first report of a printed carbon nanotube synaptic transistor with a single gate electrode that has the ability to concurrently receive pulsed electrical and optical inputs as well as to realize multi-functional outputs. The results provide an opportunity for the coupling of multiple inputs through different stimulation methods in emerging brain-like synaptic nanoelectronics.

Emission-line galaxies (ELGs) are crucial in understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies, while little is known about their variability. Here we report the study on the optical variability of a sample of ELGs selected in the COSMOS field, which has narrow-band observations in two epochs separated by $\gtrsim$ 12 years. This sample was observed with Suprime-Cam (SC) and Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) on the $Subaru$ telescope in NB816 and $i'/i$ bands, respectively. After carefully removing the wing effect of a narrow-band filter, we check the optical variability in a sample of 181 spectroscopically confirmed ELGs. We find that 0 (0/68) Ha emitters, 11.9% (5/42) [OIII] emitters, and 0 (0/71) [OII] emitters show significant variability ($|\Delta m_{NB}| \geq 3\,\sigma_{\Delta m_{NB,AGN}} = 0.20\, mag$) in the two-epoch narrow-band observations. We investigate the presence of active galactic nucleus (AGN) in this variable ELG (var-ELG) sample with three methods, including X-ray luminosity, mid-infrared activity, and radio-excess. We find zero bright AGN in this var-ELG sample, but cannot rule out the contribution from faint AGN. We find that SNe could also dominate the variability of the var-ELG sample. The merger morphology shown in the HST/F814W images of all the var-ELG sample is in agreement with the enhancement of star formation, i.e., the SNe activity., Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Developing a scalable method to fabricate atomic wires is an important step for building solid-state semiconductor quantum computers. In this work, we developed a selective doping strategy by patte...

Van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions, based on two-dimensional (2D) materials, have great potential for the development of ecofriendly and high-efficiency nanodevices, which shows valuable applications as photovoltaic cells, photodetectors, etc. However, the coexistence of photoelectric conversion and storage in a single device has not been achieved until now. Here, we demonstrate a simple strategy to construct a vdW p-n junction between a WSe_{2} layer and quasi-2D electron gas. After an optical illumination, the device stores the light-generated carriers for up to seven days, and then releases a very large photocurrent of 2.9 mA with bias voltage applied in darkness; this is referred to as chargeable photoconductivity (CPC), which completely differs from any previously observed photoelectric phenomenon. In normal photoconductivity, the recombination of electron-hole pairs occurs at the end of their lifetime; in contrast, infinite-lifetime photocarriers can be generated and stored in CPC devices without recombination. The photoelectric conversion and storage are completely self-excited during the charging process. The ratio between currents in full- and empty-photocarrier states below the critical temperature reaches as high as 10^{9}, with an external quantum efficiency of 93.8% during optical charging. A theoretical model developed to explain the mechanism of this effect is in good agreement with the experimental data. This work paves a path toward the high-efficiency devices for photoelectric conversion and storage.

Silicon is widespread in modern electronics, but its electronic bandgap prevents the detection of infrared radiation at wavelengths above 1,100 nanometers, which limits its applications in multiple fields such as night vision, health monitoring and space navigation systems. It is therefore of interest to integrate silicon with infrared-sensitive materials to broaden its detection wavelength. Here we demonstrate a photovoltage triode that can use silicon as the emitter but is also sensitive to infrared spectra owing to the heterointegrated quantum dot light absorber. The photovoltage generated at the quantum dot base region, attracting holes from silicon, leads to high responsivity (exceeding 410 A·W−1 with Vbias of −1.5 V), and a widely self-tunable spectral response. Our device has the maximal specific detectivity (4.73 × 1013 Jones with Vbias of −0.4 V) at 1,550 nm among the infrared sensitized silicon detectors, which opens a new path towards infrared and visible imaging in one chip with silicon technology compatibility., While Silicon is widely used for electronic devices, its band-gap limits its use for infrared detection. Here, Zheng et al present a method for overcoming this limitation, by integrating colloidal quantum dots, with the resulting structure exhibiting high sensitivity to infrared radiation.

Uncooled infrared photodetectors have evoked widespread interest in basic research and military manufacturing because of their low-cost, compact detection systems. However, existing uncooled infrared photodetectors utilize the photothermoelectric effect of infrared radiation operating at 8-12 μm, with a slow response time in the millisecond range. Hence, the exploration of new uncooled mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) heterostructures is conducive to the development of ultrafast and high-performance nano-optoelectronics. This study explores a van der Waals heterojunction on epitaxial HgCdTe (vdWs-on-MCT) as an uncooled MWIR photodetector, which achieves fast response as well as high detectivity for spectral blackbody detection. Specifically, the vdWs-on-MCT photodetector has a fast response time of 13 ns (77 MHz), which is approximately an order of magnitude faster than commercial uncooled MCT photovoltaic photodetectors. Importantly, the device exhibits a photoresponsivity of 2.5 A/W, quantum efficiency as high as 85%, peak detectivity of 2×1010 cm Hz1/2 W-1 under blackbody radiation at room temperature, and peak detectivity of up to 1011 cm Hz1/2 W-1 at 77 K. Thereby, our work facilitates the effective design of high-speed and high-performance heterojunction uncooled MWIR photodetectors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Ordinary diamond presents the disadvantages of poor self-sharpening and concentrated grinding stress when it is used as an abrasive. Moreover, this kind of diamond cannot be well wetted by the vitrified bond, resulting in a lower holding force of the binder to the abrasives (i.e., the diamond is easy to detach from the binder matrix during grinding). These comprehensive factors not only reduce the surface quality of the processed workpiece, but also hinder the processing efficiency. In order to solve these problems, a new type of porous diamond with high self-sharpening properties was prepared using a thermochemical corrosion method in this study. Our results showed a great improvement in pore volume and specific surface area of the porous diamond compared with ordinary diamond abrasive particles, and the holding force and wettability of vitrified bond to the porous diamond abrasive particles were also improved. Compared with ordinary diamond abrasive tools, porous diamond abrasive tools showed a 29.6% increase in grinding efficiency, a 15.5% decreased in grinding ratio, a 27.5% reduction in workpiece surface roughness, and the scratches on the silicon wafer surface were reduced and refined.

Silicon photonics has become the preferred candidate for technologies applicable to multifarious fields. However, the applications are strictly limited by the intrinsic in-band photo effect of silicon. Herein, near-infrared photodetectors that break through the silicon bandgap by Er/O hyperdoping are fabricated, potentially extending their applications into telecommunications, low-light-level night vision, medical treatment, and others. Er/O-hyperdoped silicon was achieved as an infrared light absorption layer through ion implantation. The lattice damage caused by ion implantation was repaired by a deep cooling process in which high-temperature samples were cooled by helium flushing cooled by liquid nitrogen. Traditional junction and metallization processes were performed to form a photodiode. We demonstrate that the device has a spectral range up to the wavelength of 1568 nm, a maximum responsivity of 165 µA/W at 1310 nm, and 3 dB cutoff bandwidth up to 3 kHz. Finally, temperature-dependent optical-electrical characteristics were measured to demonstrate the activation mechanism of Er/O in silicon. This Letter proves silicon’s potential in realizing extended infrared detection at room temperature, and it provides a possible way to fabricate infrared optoelectronics and signal processing integrated chips on a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) platform.