Recent Advances in Topological Materials for Photodetection

Topological materials, which possess nontrivial band structures and topologically protected boundary states, exhibit unique physical properties in electronic transport, light-matter interaction, and quantum regulation that distinguish them from conventional semiconductors. With the rapid development of topological insulators, topological crystalline insulators, topological semimetals, and topological superconductors, photodetectors based on topological materials have achieved a series of important advances from the visible and infrared to the terahertz spectral ranges and show advantages such as broadband photoresponse, high carrier mobility, ultrafast response speed, and potential room-temperature operation. This review systematically summarizes the research progress of different topological material systems in photodetection, with emphasis on the effects of topological surface states and bulk states on photogenerated carrier transport and the main photoelectric response mechanisms in topological materials, as well as the roles by which topological properties enhance device performance. Typical device architectures and key performance metrics are also summarized. Finally, the key challenges currently faced by topological material photodetectors are analyzed, which include material synthesis, dark current suppression, and device uniformity and stability, and the future development directions for infrared, terahertz, and novel photodetection applications are discussed.