Chalcogenide semiconductors: charge carrier dynamics and optoelectronic applications

Abstract

Chalcogenides have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation semiconductors mainly benefiting from their facile fabrication, low cost, excellent stability and tunable optoelectronic properties. However, their device performance still lags behind that of perovskite and organic optoelectronic devices. A key challenge is to characterize and modulate the charge carrier dynamics and strike a balance between low-cost fabrication and excellent optoelectronic performance. In this review, we summarize the recent research progress of our research group in antimony- and bismuth-based chalcogenide semiconductors, focusing on material fabrication, charge carrier dynamics characterization, and optoelectronic applications. We also discuss the main challenges and provide an outlook on the future directions of chalcogenide semiconductors and optoelectronic devices.