Intraband quantum dots are degenerately doped semiconductor nanomaterials that exhibit unique optical properties in mid- to long-wavelength infrared. To date, these quantum dots have been only studied as lateral photoconductive devices, while transitioning toward a vertically stacked structure can open diverse opportunities for investigating advanced device designs. Here, we report the first vertical intraband quantum dot heterojunction devices composed of Ag2Se/PbS/Ag2Se quantum dot stacks that bring the advantage of reduced dark conductivity with a simplified device fabrication procedure. We discuss the improvement in the colloidal synthesis of Ag2Se quantum dots that are critical for vertical device fabrication, identify an important process that determines the mid-wavelength infrared responsivity of the quantum dot film, and analyze the basic device characteristics and key detector performance parameters. Compared to the previous generation of Ag2Se quantum dot-based photoconductive devices, approximately 70 times increase in the mid-wavelength responsivity, at room temperature, is observed.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in leveraging two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) crystals for infrared (IR) photodetection, exploiting their unusual optoelectrical properties. Some 2D vdW materials with small band gap energies such as graphene and black phosphorus have been explored as stand-alone IR responsive layers in photodetectors. However, the devices incorporating these IR-sensitive 2D layers often exhibited poor performances owing to their preparation issues such as limited scalability and air instability. Herein, we explored wafer-scale 2D platinum ditelluride (PtTe 2 ) layers for near-to-mid IR photodetection by directly growing them onto silicon (Si) wafers. 2D PtTe 2 /Si heterojunctions exhibited wavelengthand intensity-dependent high photocurrents in a spectral range of ∼1−7 μm, significantly outperforming stand-alone 2D PtTe 2 layers. The observed superiority is attributed to their excellent Schottky junction characteristics accompanying suppressed carrier recombination as well as optical absorbance competition between 2D PtTe 2 layers and Si. The direct and scalable growth of 2D PtTe 2 layers was further extended to demonstrate mechanically flexible IR photodetectors.

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As an emerging member of the colloidal semiconductor quantum dot materials family, intraband quantum dots are being extensively studied for thermal infrared sensing applications. High-performance detectors can be realized using a traditional p–n junction device design; however, the heavily doped nature of intraband quantum dots presents a new challenge in realizing diode devices. In this work, we utilize a trait uniquely available in a colloidal quantum dot material system to overcome this challenge: the ability to blend two different types of quantum dots to control the electrical property of the resulting film. We report on the preparation of binary mixture films containing midwavelength infrared Ag2Se intraband quantum dots and the fabrication of p–n heterojunction diodes with strong rectifying characteristics. The peak specific detectivity at 4.5 μm was measured to be 107 Jones at room temperature, which is an orders of magnitude improvement compared to the previous generation of intraband quantum dot detectors.

Various near-atom-thickness two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) crystals with unparalleled electromechanical properties have been explored for transformative devices. Currently, the availability of 2D vdW crystals is rather limited in nature as they are only obtained from certain mother crystals with intrinsically possessed layered crystallinity and anisotropic molecular bonding. Recent efforts to transform conventionally non-vdW three-dimensional (3D) crystals into ultrathin 2D-like structures have seen rapid developments to explore device building blocks of unique form factors. Herein, we explore a “peel-and-stick” approach, where a nonlayered 3D platinum sulfide (PtS) crystal, traditionally known as a cooperate mineral material, is transformed into a freestanding 2D-like membrane for electromechanical applications. The ultrathin (∼10 nm) 3D PtS films grown on large-area (>cm2) silicon dioxide/silicon (SiO2/Si) wafers are precisely “peeled” inside water retaining desired geometries via a capillary-force-driven surface wettability control. Subsequently, they are “sticked” on strain-engineered patterned substrates presenting prominent semiconducting properties, i.e., p-type transport with an optical band gap of ∼1.24 eV. A variety of mechanically deformable strain-invariant electronic devices have been demonstrated by this peel-and-stick method, including biaxially stretchable photodetectors and respiratory sensing face masks. This study offers new opportunities of 2D-like nonlayered semiconducting crystals for emerging mechanically reconfigurable and stretchable device technologies.