Optoelectronic control of ferroelectric field coupling for enhanced ultraviolet photodetection

Abstract

Wide and ultrawide bandgap semiconductors, including but not limited to ZnO, GaN, SnO₂ and Ga₂O₃, have emerged as a class of ultraviolet (UV) photosensitive semiconductors, displaying huge potential for internet of things, optical communications and imaging. However, achieving a high-performance UV PD without complicated designs at low supply voltages and weak light intensities remains challenging. Fabricating such UV PDs would help in developing integrated devices with more functionalities than the basic photodetection ability, which is highly required and has triggered ever-growing interest in scientific and industrial communities. Ferroelectric thin films have become a potential candidate in enhancing UV detection due to their excellent dielectric, piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and acousto-optic effects, which can satisfy the demand for the diversified development of UV PDs by virtue of multi-field coupling. In this review, the field coupling effects induced by ferroelectric materials for improving UV photodetection will be discussed in detail. The advantages and challenges of ferroelectric field-coupled UV PDs are summarized, and the possible development directions in the future, such as in the development of neuromorphic visual sensors and in-sensor computing, are proposed.