Deciphering photocurrent mechanisms at the nanoscale in van der Waals interfaces for enhanced optoelectronic applications
Citations Over TimeTop 13% of 2025 papers
Abstract
Integrated photodetectors are vital for their high speed, sensitivity, and low power consumption, with photocurrent driven by the photovoltaic and photothermoelectric (PTE) effects. At the nanoscale, these mechanisms overlap, complicating their separate evaluation. We introduce a 3D photocurrent nanoimaging technique to map these effects in a MoS2-Au Schottky photodiode, revealing a PTE-dominated region extending hundreds of nanometers from the electrode edge, enabled by weak electrostatic forces in two-dimensional materials. Unexpectedly, adding high-thermal conductivity hexagonal boron nitride enhances the PTE response by laterally redirecting heat, aligning thermal gradients with Seebeck coefficient variations, and boosting local conductance. This technique advances optoelectronic applications and deepens insights into light-matter interactions in low-dimensional systems, offering a powerful tool for designing efficient nanoscale photodetectors.
Related Papers
- → Commercially Available WO3 Nanopowders for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting: Photocurrent versus Oxygen Evolution(2016)26 cited
- → Temperature dependence of the persistent photocurrent in Czochralski gallium arsenide(1990)10 cited
- → Photoelectrochemical Photocurrent Switching and Related Phenomena(2012)2 cited
- The Effect of the Thickness of α-Fe_2O_3 Nanocrystalline Thin Film on the Photocurrent Response(2001)
- → Collected photocurrent imaging of CIGS solar cells via electro-modulated luminescence under different illumination conditions(2016)