Lutong
Guo
ab,
Kun
Zhang
ab,
Mingquan
Tao
ab,
Rudai
Zhao
a,
Tingqing
Wu
ab,
Yang
Wang
*ab and
Yanlin
Song
*ab
aKey Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Zhongguancun North First Street 2, 100190, Beijing, P. R. China
bSchool of Chemical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, P. R. China. E-mail: wangyang@iccas.ac.cn; ylsong@iccas.ac.cn
First published on 1st November 2022
Perovskite photodetectors (PVK PDs) have emerged as weak-light imaging devices due to their favorable carrier mobility, induced light absorption, and photoelectric performance. Modifying the optical structure is an effective strategy for improving the light-collecting performance and sensitivity of the device. Here, a designed and fabricated bio-inspired micro-area concentrated perovskite photodetector system with a micro hemisphere structured array exhibits superior capabilities in light harvesting, and achieves excellent PD device electrical performance and weak light imaging. The responsivity (R) and detectivity (D*) of the micro area concentrated PVK PD reach 0.2 A W−1 and 1.37 × 1013 Jones, which are 16.4 and 11.7 times higher than that of the pristine material. The on/off ratio of the micro area concentrated PVK PD is up to 1.6 × 104. The micro hemisphere structured array of PD significantly enhances the weak light sensitivity and results in the realization of weak light imaging under 0.64 μW cm−2.
10th Anniversary StatementJournal of Materials Chemistry C is an excellent journal. We have published several articles in Journal of Materials Chemistry C, which represent the frontiers of our scientific research and exploration. Meanwhile, we also obtain exciting new ideas and experimental processes from Journal of Materials Chemistry C. In the perovskite photodetector, modifying the optical structure is a simple and convenient way to improve the electrical performance and weak light imaging. In this manuscript, we have designed and fabricated a bio-inspired micro-area concentrated perovskite photodetector system with an array with a micro hemisphere structure, which significantly enhances the weak light sensitivity and realizes weak light imaging under 0.64 μW cm−2. |
Herein, we propose a bio-inspired perovskite (MAPbI3) photodetector for weak light detection with an array of micro hemisphere structures (called 600 nm-PVK PD), utilizing the bio-inspired micro hemisphere structures to achieve a high light concentration in a small space for weak light detection and imaging. The bio-inspired micro area concentrated array can achieve high light harvesting and absorb more reflected light from the back glass. Moreover, a confined crystallization method via nanoimprinting facilitates the PVK crystallinity and reduces the defects, improving the electrical properties of the photodetector devices.15 Therefore, the micro area concentrated 600 nm-PVK PD obtains a responsivity (0.20 A W−1) and detectivity (1.37 × 1013 Jones) 16.4 and 11.7 times those of the pristine material, and the on/off ratio is up to 1.6 × 104. The 600 nm-PVK PD can achieve weak light imaging under low light intensity (0.64 μW cm−2).
A schematic of the fabrication process of imprinted photodetectors is depicted in the experimental section and ESI† (Fig. S2). After peeling off the PDMS, the pattern of the 2D PC becomes a tessellation of hexagons, because this is the closest-packed structure of a spherical array17 (Fig. S3, ESI†). The perovskite films with micro area concentrated structures are named the 180 nm-perovskite (180 nm-PVK), 600 nm-perovskite (600 nm-PVK), 900 nm-perovskite (900 nm-PVK), and flat-perovskite (Flat-PVK) (Fig. S4 and S5, ESI†). This bio-inspired micro area concentrated structure ensures the light harvesting ability and optoelectrical properties.18
In Fig. 1b, the light intensity has been modified by the attenuator, realizing a strong response under low light intensity and weak light imaging (Fig. 1c and d). Moreover, under the same large curvature structure, the effect of light enrichment depends on the wavelength. Due to refraction and Bragg's law of reflection, the optical structure has the best light-concentration efficiency at the half-wavelength of the light. The optical structures such as the lens structure have different interactions with different wavelengths, and the focus positions of the structures with different sizes are also different. The parallel light at different intervals satisfies the Bragg diffraction formula during reflection. Therefore, for MAPbI3, 650 nm incident light is the ideal excitation wavelength for the photodetector. In the nano-imprinting process, a complete hemisphere structure cannot actually be formed, so the hemisphere size compared with the 600 nm template is about 2/3 of the original (400 nm), which meets the requirement for the half-wavelength of the incident light when compared with 900 nm and 180 nm. The 600 nm-perovskite film exhibits higher absorbance compared with the pristine material (Fig. 2a). In Fig. 2b and Fig. S6 (ESI†), the main XRD diffraction peaks indicate the pure tetragonal phase.19 The 600 nm-PVK film with stronger and sharper peaks shows high-quality crystallization, which corresponds to the SEM images in Fig. 2d and Fig. S7 (ESI†). Therefore, the nanoimprinting process can assist the promotion of perovskite crystallization for large crystals and a high-quality perovskite film, which is attributed to the imprinting and gradient annealing facilitating perovskite migration and recrystallization.20–23 In Fig. S8 (ESI†), the steady-state PL spectra of the perovskite films show the same 780 nm emission peak, which shows that the imprinting method has no influence on the perovskite bandgap. In Fig. 2c and Fig. S9 (ESI†), the 600 nm-PVK film shows a longer carrier lifetime (305 ns) than those of the 900 nm-PVK (293 ns), 180 nm-PVK (246 ns), and Flat-PVK (182 ns). The value of the radiative recombination proportion24 for 600 nm-PVK reaches 84.6% (900 nm-PVK: 82.3%, 180 nm-PVK: 72.8%, Flat-PVK: 76.9%). This further indicates that the 600 nm-PVK film has few surface defects and good crystallization, which are essential for the performance of photodetector devices.25 Space charge limited current testing (SCLC) measurements are used to quantify the defect states, as shown in Fig. S10 (ESI†). The determined trap-filled limit voltage (VTFL) value of the nano-imprinted device decreases from 0.506 V to 0.292 V, thus the trap density of the nano-imprinted device (7.06 × 1015 cm−3) is lower than that of the pristine material (1.22 × 1016 cm−3). SEM images show that the arrangement of the micro hemisphere structure is orderly (Fig. 2d and e).
The material has good surface morphology and ordered structure even at high magnification, which is proved by the 45° cross-section SEM images (Fig. 2f). Therefore, the constructed bio-inspired micro area concentrated structure can improve the light collection capacity of a unit area. The 600 nm-PVK film obtains a higher absorbance (Fig. 2g) and lower optical reflectance in the 400–800 nm range compared to the pristine material (Fig. 2h). Significantly, the 600 nm-PVK has a higher (11%) light harvesting efficiency (LHE, Fig. 2i) than the pristine material at 650 nm, which favors the weak light imaging of devices under low light intensity. This further demonstrates the effect of the optical structure on light harvesting.26–28
Subsequently, the optoelectronic performances of the different perovskite photodetectors (Flat-PD, 180 nm-PD, 600 nm-PD and 900 nm-PD) were measured. A diagram and cross-sectional SEM image are shown in Fig. S11 (ESI†). In Fig. 3a, current–voltage (I–V) curves of the Flat-PD and the PDs with 180 nm, 600 nm and 900 nm sized structures in the dark and under illumination (7.98 mW cm−2, 650 nm, 5 V bias) are shown. Due to the bio-inspired micro area concentrated array structure for optical absorption enhancement,29 there is a 352 nA photocurrent for the 600 nm-PD, which is over 10 times that of the Flat-PD (35 nA). I–V curves of the 600 nm-PD, 900 nm-PD, 180 nm-PD, and Flat-PD under different amounts of 650 nm light illumination (0.40–7.98 mW cm−2) under 5 V bias voltage (Fig. S12, ESI†) show the same improvement of photocurrent with increasing light intensity. The linear dynamic range shows the linear range of the response to the light intensity for the application of photodetection in a broad light intensity range,30 and is defined:31
(1) |
In Fig. 3c, the current–time (I–t) curves of 600 nm-PD, 900 nm-PD, 180 nm-PD, and Flat-PD show stable light on/off cycles between dark and the light illumination conditions (650 nm, 7.98 mW cm−2) at 5 V bias voltage. The light on/off ratio (Iph/Id, where Iph is the photocurrent and Id is the dark current)32–34 is a key parameter and has an influence on the PD photoelectric and imaging performances.35 The light on/off ratios of 600 nm-PD, 900 nm-PD, 180 nm-PD, and Flat-PD are 6.28 × 103 (Iph: 352 nA, Id: 56 pA), 2 × 103 (Iph: 140 nA, Id: 70 pA), 6.85 × 102 (Iph: 61 nA, Id: 89 pA), and 2.19 × 103 (Iph: 35 nA, Id: 16 pA), as shown in Fig. 3b and Fig. S14 (ESI†). The 600 nm-PD has the largest on/off ratio of 1.6 × 104 (Iph: 113 nA, Id: 7 pA) under white light (Fig. S15, ESI†), and the corresponding response time (rise time: 4 ms, decay time: 2 ms) is shown in Fig. 3c. The responsivity (R), detectivity (D*) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) are used to evaluate the PD performance. R represents the generated photocurrent per unit area of light intensity,36–38 which is defined as:
(2) |
(3) |
The external quantum efficiency has been defined12 as:
(4) |
Fig. 3d, e and Fig. S16 (ESI†) show the influence of different light intensities from 0.016 to 7.98 mW cm−2 on the R, D*, and EQE of different PDs. The decreasing R value with increasing light intensity indicates that more carriers will recombine under a high light intensity.41 The trends of D* and EQE are consistent with the influence of R.42,43 The values of R, D* and EQE for the micro area concentrated PVK PD (600 nm) are 0.2 A W−1, 37.77% and 1.37 × 1013 Jones, respectively, which are 16.7, 16.4, and 12.7 times those of the Flat-PD (R: 0.012 A W−1; EQE: 2.31%; D*: 1.08 × 1012 Jones). Due to the advantages of the constructed bio-inspired micro area concentrated array, the device has a high detection rate and switching ratio compared with other systems in the reported literature (Fig. 3f). The device parameters are summarized in detail and compared with the previously reported MAPbI3 photodetectors in Table S2 (ESI†). The PVK PD exhibits the advantages of a bio-inspired micro area concentrated array to improve the responsivity, directivity, and on/off ratio beyond those reported in the literature.
The bio-inspired micro area concentrated structured photodetector achieves clear weak light imaging under different intensities and wavelengths of light. As shown in Fig. 4a, a mask was placed between the 600 nm-PD and green, red, and blue light sources, and patterned letters “L”, “H” and “E”, respectively, were transmitted to realize photo-communication. When the size of the optical structure matches the half wavelength of the light, the enrichment effect of the light is better, so the bio-inspired micro area concentrated structured photodetector has different light enrichment capabilities under different wavelengths of light. The 600 nm-PD has the maximum photocurrent under 650 nm light illumination, which is much better than the photocurrents under 532 nm and 450 nm (Fig. 4b). Fig. 4c shows clear weak light imaging even under the weak light intensity of 0.64 μW cm−2. The imaging results indicate visually that the signal-to-noise ratio gradually reduces with decreasing light intensity. Meanwhile, the device also enables muti-wavelength light detection and imaging (Fig. 4d–f). The 600 nm-PD has the best detection (Fig. S17, ESI†) and imaging performance under 650 nm light illumination, which corresponds to the difference in the photocurrent (Fig. 4b). This strategy provides a simple and efficient approach to fabricate high-performance photodetectors for weak light imaging.
Footnote |
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d2tc03760b |
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2023 |