Nanostructures of ultrathin 2D MoO3 semiconductors
have
gained significant attention in the field of transparent optoelectronics
and nanophotonics due to their exceptional responsiveness. In this
study, we investigate self-powered α-MoO3/Ir/α-MoO3 photodetectors, focusing on the influence of induced hot
electrons in ultrathin α-MoO3 when combined with
an ultrathin Ir plasmonic layer. Our results reveal the presence of
both positive and negative photoconductivity at a 0 V bias voltage.
Notably, by integrating a 2 nm Ir layer between post-annealed α-MoO3 films, we achieve remarkable performance metrics, including
a high I
ON/I
OFF ratio of 3.8 × 106, external quantum efficiency
of 132, and detectivity of 3.4 × 1011 Jones at 0 V
bias. Furthermore, the response time is impressively short, with only
0.2 ms, supported by an exceptionally low MoO3 surface
roughness of 0.1 nm. The observed negative photoresponse is attributed
to O2 desorption from the MoO3 surface, resulting
in increased carrier density and reduced mobility in the Ir layer
due to Coulomb trapping and oxygen vacancy deep levels. Consequently,
this leads to a decreased carrier mobility and diminished current
in the heterostructure. Our findings underscore the enormous potential
of ultrathin MoO3 semiconductors for high-performance negative
conductivity optoelectronics and photonic applications.