Uncooled Broadband Photodetection via Light Trapping in Conformal PtTe2–Silicon Nanopillar Heterostructures

Dirac semimetals have demonstrated significant attraction in the field of optoelectronics due to their unique bandgap structure and high carrier mobility. Combining them with classical semiconductor materials to form heterojunctions enables broadband optoelectronic conversion at room temperature. However, the low light absorption of layered Dirac semimetals substantially limits the device’s responsivity in the infrared band. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) heterostructure, composed of silicon nanopillars (SiNPs) and a conformal PtTe2 film, is proposed and demonstrated to enhance the photoresponsivity for uncooled broadband detection. The light trapping effect in the 3D heterostructure efficiently promotes the interaction between light and PtTe2, while also enhancing the light absorption efficiency of silicon, which enables the enhancement of the device responsivity across a broadband spectrum. Experimentally, the PtTe2-SiNPs heterojunction device demonstrates excellent photoelectric conversion behavior across the visible, near-infrared, and long-wave infrared (LWIR) bands, with its responsivity demonstrating an order-of-magnitude improvement compared to the counterparts with planar silicon heterojunctions. Under 11 μm laser irradiation, the noise equivalent power (NEP) can reach 1.76 nW·Hz–1/2 (@1 kHz). These findings offer a strategic approach to the design and fabrication of high-performance broadband photodetectors based on Dirac semimetals.