Tellurium is a narrow-gap, p-type semiconductor with promising potential for future electronic and optoelectronic devices. Te’s band gap can be tuned from 0.31 eV in bulk form to 1.04 eV in monolayer form. Unlike many other competing 2D semiconductors, Te is air-stable and can be deposited on a substrate of choice by thermal evaporation or solution synthesis. Photodetectors based on solution-synthesized Te nanoflakes have already been demonstrated, with specific detectivity in near-IR at or above 10^9 Jones. However, solution-synthesis of Te nanoflakes is not scalable, and harnessing the scalability of Te for photodetectors has remained elusive. In this project, our group will be exploring ways to fabricate highly scalable IR detectors based on large-area Tellurium.
Project is currently funded by: Federal