Letter abstract
Nature Photonics 1, 531 - 534 (2007)
Published online: 3 September 2007 | doi:10.1038/nphoton.2007.147
Subject Categories: Optoelectronic devices and components | Novel materials and engineered structures
Sensitive solution-processed visible-wavelength photodetectors
Gerasimos Konstantatos1, Jason Clifford1, Larissa Levina1 & Edward H. Sargent1
Abstract
One billion image sensors worldwide render optical images as digital photographs in video cameras, still cameras and camera phones. These silicon-based sensors monolithically integrate photodetection with electronic readout. However, silicon photodiodes rely on a smaller bandgap than that required for visible detection; this degrades visible-wavelength sensitivity and produces unwanted infrared sensitivity. Thin-film top-surface visible photodetectors have therefore been investigated based on amorphous1, organic2 and colloidal quantum-dot3 semiconductors. However, none of these devices has exhibited visible sensitivity approaching that of silicon. Here we report a sensitive solution-processed photodetector that, across the entire visible spectrum, exhibits D* (normalized detectivity) greater than 5 
1012 Jones (a unit of detectivity equivalent to cm Hz1/2 W-1). A photoconductive gain of >100 has been measured, facilitating high-fidelity electronic readout, and the linear dynamic range is greater than 60 dB, as required for high-contrast applications. These photodetectors are also compatible with flexible organic-based electronics.
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 10 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G4, Canada
Correspondence to: Edward H. Sargent1 e-mail: ted.sargent@utoronto.ca
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