Thermally stable high carrier mobility nanocomposite infrared photodetector

Quantum dots (QDs) show excellent optical properties, such as a high extinction coefficient, tunable colors, and superior photostability. However, the transport properties of QDs, such as carrier mobility, are quite limited, which hinder optoelectronic applications. On the other hand, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) generally have high carrier mobility and thermal stability with a weak optical response. These features inspire us to couple QDs with CNTs to achieve improved optoelectronics. We take infrared HgTe QDs and multi-walled CNTs as examples. With appropriate coupling between QD and CNT matrices, carrier mobility could reach 34.6–54.1 cm2/Vs in the nanocomposite, a 1000-fold increase compared with the reference. The nanocomposite benefits external quantum efficiency up to 12 500% and detectivity 1012 Jones on the 2500 nm infrared photodetectors. The CNT matrix also helps relaxing thermally generated carriers, improving the photodetector thermal stability. We also demonstrate that the device maintains high detectivity at a high operating temperature.