A monolithic chiral perovskite crystal enables self-powered, full-Stokes detection of ultra-weak light

Abstract

Accurate and chip-integrated full-Stokes polarization detection is essential for advancing multifunctional optoelectronic systems. However, conventional approaches relying on optical filters often suffer from significant optical losses and poor sensitivity under weak-light conditions. Here, we report an efficient full-Stokes polarimeter based on a 1D chiral-polar perovskite, (R/S-NEA)PbI₃. The intrinsic anisotropic and chiral structure of the (R/S-NEA)PbI₃ single crystal enables both high linear and circular polarization sensitivity. Moreover, the polar structure induces a giant bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) of up to 8 V, enabling efficient carrier extraction under zero bias and significantly suppressing noise currents to the ∼fA level, resulting in an exceptional specific detectivity of 4.1 × 10¹³ Jones. These combined properties enable accurate, self-powered full-Stokes polarization detection, with the fabricated single-crystal-based polarimeter achieving an average Stokes parameter error (ΔS_1–3) of less than 3%. Notably, the polarimeter demonstrates an ultra-low detection limit of 0.4 μW cm⁻², representing the highest sensitivity among comparable polarimeters reported to date. With easy on-chip integration, the polarimeter showcases precise full-Stokes imaging capabilities.