Photocurrent generation with two-dimensional van der Waals semiconductors

TL;DR

This paper reviews the latest developments in 2D van der Waals semiconductors, emphasizing their optoelectronic properties and potential for high-performance photodetectors in flexible and strain-engineered devices.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in 2D semiconducting materials and their application in photodetectors, highlighting new materials and heterostructure designs.

Findings

2D materials exhibit high responsivity in photodetectors

Semiconducting 2D materials are suitable for flexible electronics

Heterostructures enhance photodetector performance

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted a great deal of interest in recent years. This family of materials allows for the realization of versatile electronic devices and holds promise for next-generation (opto)electronics. Their electronic properties strongly depend on the number of layers, making them interesting from a fundamental standpoint. For electronic applications, semiconducting 2D materials benefit from sizable mobilities and large on/off ratios, due to the large modulation achievable via the gate field-effect. Moreover, being mechanically strong and flexible, these materials can withstand large strain (>10\%) before rupture, making them interesting for strain engineering and flexible devices. Even in their single layer form, semiconducting 2D materials have demonstrated efficient light absorption, enabling large responsivity in photodetectors. Therefore, semiconducting layered 2D materials are strong candidates for optoelectronic applications, especially for photodetection. Here, we review the state-of-the-art in photodetectors based on semiconducting 2D materials, focusing on the transition metal dichalcogenides, novel van der Waals materials, black phosphorus, and heterostructures.