Fast near-infrared photodetectors based on nontoxic and solution-processable AgBiS2

Abstract

Solution-processable near-infrared (NIR) photodetectors are urgently needed for a wide range of next-generation electronics, including sensors, optical communications and bioimaging. However, it is rare to find photodetectors with >300 kHz cut-off frequencies, especially in the NIR region, and many of the emerging inorganic materials explored are comprised of toxic elements, such as lead. Herein, we develop solution-processed AgBiS2 photodetectors with high cut-off frequencies under both white light (>1 MHz) and NIR (approaching 500 kHz) illumination. These high cut-off frequencies are due to the short transit distances of charge-carriers in the ultrathin photoactive layer of AgBiS2 photodetectors, which arise from the strong light absorption of this material, such that film thicknesses well below 120 nm are sufficient to absorb >65% of NIR to visible light. We also reveal ion migration to play a critical role on the photo-response speed of these devices, and its detrimental effects could be mitigated by finely tuning the thickness of the photoactive layer, which is important for achieving low dark current densities as well. These outstanding characteristics enable the realization of air-stable, real-time heartbeat sensors based on NIR AgBiS2 photodetectors, which strongly motivates their future integration in high-throughput systems.