Plasmonic enhancement in deep ultraviolet photoresponse of hexagonal boron nitride thin films

Abstract

Deep-ultraviolet (DUV) photodetectors based on hexagonal boron nitride ( h-BN) have demonstrated great potentials for various commercial and military applications; however, to date, most studies show that the h-BN photodetectors suffer from poor performance, such as low responsivity and large dark current. Herein, we report the dramatic enhancement of photoresponse in the DUV region of a h-BN device coupled with plasmonic nanostructures of either h-BN nanosheets (BNNSs) or Au nanoparticles (NPs). Large-area h-BN thin films that have been directly grown on quartz substrates using the ion beam assistant deposition method exhibit a uniform thickness of ∼200 nm, an ultrawide bandgap (∼ 6 eV), and an excellent light transparency in the visible region. Based on the vertical charge transfer integrated with plasmonic nanoarrays, the photocurrent of the h-BN device can be greatly enhanced by up to about 7–9 times under the illumination of 205 nm by showing a cutoff wavelength at ∼220 nm. Owing to the retained low dark current and large photo-gain induced by localized plasmonic resonances, this hybrid photodetector exhibits 32- and 57-fold improvement in responsivity at a 205 nm wavelength by BNNSs and Au NPs, respectively. This work demonstrates plasmonic enhancement on optoelectronic properties of h-BN based on not only metallic but also semiconducting nanostructures and provides alternative pathways for the development of low-cost, large-area, high-performance, DUV photodetectors for various optoelectronic devices and security applications.

Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Next‐Generation Photonics and Electronics

“…g) The semilogarithmic IV curves of the h‐BN photodetector with Au NPs under the dark and a 205 nm illumination at a power density of 19 mW cm −1 with the applied bias from −35 to 35 V. Reproduced with permission. [ 172 ] Copyright 2022, AIP Publishing. h) The dark currents of the h‐BN photodetector and h‐BN hybrid devices.…”

“…Zhu et al attempted to introduce plasmonic enhancement by incorporating Au NPs in the h-BN photodetector, which resulted in remarkable improvement of photoresponse. [172] The photocurrent of the h-BN photodetector with Au NPs was increased 7-9 times under 205 nm illumination due to the enhanced numbers of photoexcited electron-hole pairs (Figure 12g). Note that the antisymmetric current offset is induced since Au NPs are located only on one end as shown in the inset of Figure 12h.…”

High-performance hierarchical O-SnS/I-ZnIn2S4 photodetectors by leveraging the synergy of optical regulation and band tailoring

“…channel limit, thickness/strain regulated physical attributes, flexible integratability, etc. Thus far, hundreds of 2DLMs spanning graphene, 7 transition metal dichalcogenides, [8][9][10] nitrides, 11 phosphides, 12 oxyhalides, 13 and Mxenes 14 have been developed for photodetection applications.…”

“…Since the revolutionary preparation of one-atom-thick graphene, 2D layered materials (2DLMs) have been established as one of the most promising material platforms toward realizing the next-generation integrated electronics, photonics and optoelectronics, 1–6 by virtue of the intriguing attributes spanning high light transmittance, excellent flexibility, wide-range properties, remarkable quantum confinement, ultra-scaled channel limit, thickness/strain regulated physical attributes, flexible integratability, etc. Thus far, hundreds of 2DLMs spanning graphene, 7 transition metal dichalcogenides, 8–10 nitrides, 11 phosphides, 12 oxyhalides, 13 and Mxenes 14 have been developed for photodetection applications.…”

Deep-Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanosheets Enhanced by Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance in Al Nanoparticles

“…However, the role of metal NPs on the performance of 2DLM-based UV PDs has rarely been explored. Recently, Zhu et al demonstrated an enhancement by nearly 7 times the response of deep-UV PDs fabricated on 200-nm-thick h-BN by utilizing Au NPs at a very high input voltage of 35 V. In addition, an enhancement in the current was observed only for the positive biases . Because deep-UV PDs fabricated on 2DLMs, particularly h-BN, can find a place in commercial applications in the coming years, there is a pressing need for detailed investigations of plasmonic-enhanced h-BN deep-UV PDs.…”