Heterostructured hBN-BP-hBN Nanodetectors at THz Frequencies

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel heterostructure of hBN and phosphorene that functions as a high-efficiency, room-temperature Terahertz photodetector with record signal-to-noise ratio, leveraging 2D materials for improved device performance.

Contribution

It introduces a mechanically stacked hBN/BP/hBN heterostructure for THz detection, combining 2D materials with heterostructure architecture to achieve high efficiency at room temperature.

Findings

Operates in 0.3-0.65 THz range from 4K to 300K

Achieves record SNR of 20000 at room temperature

Demonstrates potential for high-performance THz photodetectors

Abstract

Artificial semiconductor heterostructures played a pivotal role in modern electronic and photonic technologies, providing a highly effective mean for the manipulation and control of carriers, from the visible to the Terahertz (THz) frequency range. Despite the exceptional versatility, they commonly require challenging epitaxial growth procedures due to the need of clean and abrupt interfaces, which proved to be a major obstacle for the realization of room-temperature (RT), high-efficiency devices, like source, detectors or modulators, especially in the far-infrared. Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials, like graphene and phosphorene, recently emerged as a reliable, flexible and versatile alternative for devising efficient RT detectors operating at Terahertz frequencies. We here combine the benefit of the heterostructure architecture with the exceptional technological potential of 2D layered nanomaterials; by reassembling the thin isolated atomic planes of hexagonal borum nitride (hBN) with a few layer phosphorene (black phosphorus (BP)) we mechanically stacked hBN/BP/hBN heterostructures to devise high-efficiency THz photodetectors operating in the 0.3-0.65 THz range from 4K to 300K with a record SNR=20000.