Self-driven SnS1−xSex alloy/GaAs heterostructure based unique polarization sensitive photodetectors

Abstract

With the fast development of semiconductor technology, self-driven devices have become an indispensable part of modern electronic and optoelectronic components. In this field, in addition to traditional Schottky and p–n junction devices, hybrid 2D/3D semiconductor heterostructures provide an alternative platform for optoelectronic applications. Herein we report the growth of 2D SnS_1−xSe_x (x = 0, 0.5, 1) nanosheets and the construction of a hybrid SnS_0.5Se_0.5/GaAs heterostructure based self-driven photodetector. The strong anisotropy of 2D SnS_1−xSe_x is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. The self-driven photodetector shows high sensitivity to incident light from the visible to near-infrared regime. At the wavelength of 405 nm, the device enables maximum responsivity of 10.2 A W⁻¹, high detectivity of 4.8 × 10¹² Jones and fast response speed of 0.5/3.47 ms. Impressively, such a heterostructure device exhibits anisotropic photodetection characteristics with the dichroic ratio of ∼1.25 at 405 nm and ∼1.45 at 635 nm. These remarkable features can be attributed to the high-quality built-in potential at the SnS_0.5Se_0.5/GaAs interface and the alloy engineering, which effectively separates the photogenerated carriers and suppresses the deep-level defects, respectively. These results imply the great potential of our SnS_0.5Se_0.5/GaAs heterostructure for high-performance photodetection devices.