Upconversion nanoparticles extending the spectral sensitivity of silicon photodetectors to λ = 1.5 μm

Hengyang Xiang; Lei Zhou; Hung-Ju Lin; Zhelu Hu; Ni Zhao; Zhuoying Chen

doi:10.1088/1361-6528/abb2c4

Upconversion nanoparticles extending the spectral sensitivity of silicon photodetectors to λ = 1.5 μm

Nanotechnology. 2020 Dec 4;31(49):495201. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/abb2c4.

Authors

Hengyang Xiang^{1

2}, Lei Zhou³, Hung-Ju Lin², Zhelu Hu², Ni Zhao⁴, Zhuoying Chen²

Affiliations

¹ MIIT Key Laboratory of Advanced Display Materials and Devices, Institute of Optoelectronics and Nanomaterials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, People's Republic of China.
² LPEM, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 10 Rue Vauquelin, F-75005 Paris, France.
³ Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai×3an 223003, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.

PMID: 32990270
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/abb2c4

Abstract

The telecommunication wavelength of λ = 1.5 μm has been playing an important role in various fields. In particular, performing photodetection at this wavelength is challenging, demanding more performance stability and lower manufacturing cost. In this work, upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)/Si hybrid photodetectors (hybrid PDs) are presented, made by integrating solution-processed Er³⁺-doped NaYF₄ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) onto a silicon photodetector. After optimization, we demonstrated that a layer of UCNPs can well lead to an effective spectral sensitivity extension without sacrificing the photodetection performance of the Si photodetector in the visible and near-infrared (near-IR) spectrum. Under λ = 1.5 μm illumination, the hybrid UCNPs/Si-PD exhibits a room-temperature detectivity of 6.15 × 10¹² Jones and a response speed of 0.4 ms. These UCNPs/Si-PDs represent a promising hybrid strategy in the quest for low-cost and broadband photodetection that is sensitive in the spectrum from visible light down to the short-wave infrared.