High-performance near-infrared narrowband circularly polarized light organic photodetectors

Efficient near-infrared (NIR) detection of circularly polarized light (CPL) provides a technologically attractive element for the next generation of quantum information, model encryption, remote sensing, and so on. However, conventional NIR CPL detectors typically require the installation of external optics, making it challenging to realize integrated and flexible devices. Despite considerable success in semiconductor-based chiroptical devices without optical elements, most of these devices only address one or a few aspects of the device quality. Here, we showcase a simple and facile strategy to achieve a high performance NIR narrowband CPL detector via combining cholesteric liquid crystal. films with a photodiode-type organic photodetector. Comprehensive performance is achieved with a super-high dissymmetry factor of 1.56, a high detectivity of 7.12 × 1012 Jones, a linear dynamic range. of 127.6 dB, a − 3 dB frequency of 279 Hz, and the rise and decay times of 0.65 ms and 5.7 ms, respectively. As a proof-of-concept, the device demonstrates excellent performance in the encrypted information using the principle of Morse code, exhibiting the potential for security communication applications.