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2D MATERIALS

Asymmetry allows photocurrent in intrinsic graphene

Nature Nanotechnology volume 14, pages 105–106 (2019)Cite this article

The asymmetry of electron–hole diffusion velocities in intrinsic graphene can give rise to efficient photocurrent generation.

In conventional semiconductors, it is well known that a built-in electric field is essential for separating photoexcited electrons from holes to generate photocurrent. However, for the zero-bandgap semiconductor graphene, this concept was challenged when scientists found that the Seebeck effect gives rise to a photocurrent in a graphene p–n junction after the local electron temperature is increased by photoexcitation1. From then on, the two above effects, known as the photovoltaic and photothermoelectric effects respectively, have been dictating the design of graphene photodetectors for applications such as high-bandwidth optical communications. Now, writing in Nature Nanotechnology, Qiong Ma et al. have found another mechanism for photocurrent generation in intrinsic graphene2. Unlike the two well-known effects, which usually become prominent in graphene at a high doping level, this new effect only dominates when graphene is completely undoped.

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Fig. 1: Photocurrent generation from velocity asymmetry of electron and hole pairs in intrinsic graphene.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Centre for Nanocarbons, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Jianbo Yin & Hailin Peng

  2. ICFO — Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain

    Jianbo Yin

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  1. Jianbo Yin
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  2. Hailin Peng
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Correspondence to Jianbo Yin or Hailin Peng.

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Yin, J., Peng, H. Asymmetry allows photocurrent in intrinsic graphene. Nature Nanotech 14, 105–106 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-019-0368-3

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