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Self-powered and broadband germanium/PEDOT:PSS heterojunction photodetectors for near-infrared biomedical imaging applications

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Abstract

To develop high-performance photodetectors (PDs) as near-infrared (NIR) imaging sensors, researchers have either proposed new photoelectric materials, introduced complicated interface-processing steps, or created complex optical structures. In this study, we introduce a solution-processed organic material, PEDOT:PSS (PEDOT corresponds to a polymer of 3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene (EDOT), and PSS corresponds to a polystyrene sulfonate), to germanium (Ge) wafers using a convenient spin-coating method to improve the photoresponse performance of Ge-based PDs. The Ge wafers and PEDOT:PSS form a heterojunction that reduces the dark current when compared with the Ge Schottky PD (Au/Ge/Ag PD). The experimental results show that the Au/PEDOT:PSS/Ge/Ag heterojunction PD with a bias voltage of 0 V at 1550 nm exhibits a responsivity (R) of 0.26 A/W, a detectivity (D*) of 6.5×1011 Jones, a linear dynamic range (LDR) of 124 dB, and a bandwidth (−3 dB) of 10 kHz. This implies that the performance of the PD is comparable to that of previously reported Ge-based PDs. Subsequently, a biomedical imaging application of the PD is successfully demonstrated through foreign-body detection. Therefore, it is expected that the self-powered Au/PEDOT:PSS/Ge/Ag PD will be highly suitable for NIR imaging.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Siyuan Laboratory, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Department of Physics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    QiuYue Wu, YuJin Liu, XinYue Huang, Xu Zheng, JieZhong He, Zhong Ji & WenJie Mai

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  1. QiuYue Wu
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  2. YuJin Liu
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  3. XinYue Huang
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  4. Xu Zheng
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  5. JieZhong He
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  6. Zhong Ji
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Correspondence to Zhong Ji or WenJie Mai.

Additional information

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51772135) and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2019M663363).

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Wu, Q., Liu, Y., Huang, X. et al. Self-powered and broadband germanium/PEDOT:PSS heterojunction photodetectors for near-infrared biomedical imaging applications. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 64, 2523–2531 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-021-1922-7

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