Graphene-semiconductor based wavelength selective photodetector for sub-bandgap photo detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10755866-B2
Application number	US-201715614975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2017
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

Graphene photodetectors capable of operating in the sub-bandgap region relative to the bandgap of semiconductor nanoparticles, as well as methods of manufacturing the same, are provided. A photodetector can include a layer of graphene, a layer of semiconductor nanoparticles, a dielectric layer, a supporting medium, and a packaging layer. The semiconductor nanoparticles can be semiconductors with bandgaps larger than the energy of photons meant to be detected.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photodetector comprising:
a supporting medium;
a layer of graphene on the supporting medium; and
a layer of semiconductor nanoparticles in direct, physical contact with the layer of graphene,
wherein the semiconductor nanoparticles are semiconductors with bandgaps larger than the energy of photons intended to be detected by the photodetector, and
wherein the semiconductor nanoparticles are silver halide nanoparticles.

2. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the layer of semiconductor nanoparticles is on the layer of graphene.

3. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the layer of semiconductor nanoparticles is under the layer of graphene.

4. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the layer of semiconductor nanoparticles is mixed in with the layer of graphene.

5. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the graphene is chemical vapor deposition grown, liquid exfoliated, or mechanically exfoliated.

6. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the semiconductor nanoparticles is from the nanometer range to the micrometer range.

7. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor nanoparticles are AgCl nanoparticles, with Eg=3.25 eV, which detect photons with energy of less than 3.25 eV.

8. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor nanoparticles are sensitized by organic or inorganic dyes so as to modulate their properties.

9. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the supporting medium is one or more of quartz, thermal oxidized Si, sapphire, silicon carbide, aluminum nitride, polydimethylsiloxane, and a flexible plastic substrate.

10. The photodetector of claim 8 , wherein the supporting medium is integrated with a photonic structure to modulate the performance of the device, wherein the photonic structure is a micro cavity, a waveguide, or a metal plasmonic structure.

11. The photodetector of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the supporting medium is modulated to achieve selective enhancement of photodetection.

12. A method of performing flexible and transparent optoelectronics for imaging, spectroscopy, sensing, or optical communications, the method comprising:
providing a photodetector according to claim 1 ; and
using the photodetector to detect photons having an energy smaller than the bandgaps of the semiconductor nanoparticles.

Assignees

• Univ Hong Kong

Inventors

• Tang Jinyao
• Xiong Ze
• Chen Jiawei

Classifications

• H01G9/2059 Primary

  comprising an organic dye as the active light absorbing material, e.g. adsorbed on an electrode or dissolved in solution · CPC title

• H10K30/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] devices · CPC title

• H10K30/35

  comprising inorganic nanostructures, e.g. CdSe nanoparticles · CPC title

• G03F7/0042 Primary

  with inorganic or organometallic light-sensitive compounds not otherwise provided for, e.g. inorganic resists (G03F7/075 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H10F71/00

  Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass (patterning processes to connect thin photovoltaic cells in integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/33; manufacture or treatment of encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/80; manufacture or treatment of integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one element in which radiation controls the flow of current H10F39/00) · CPC title