Recent Advances in Antimony Selenide Photodetectors

Photodetectors (PDs) rapidly capture optical signals and convert them into electrical signals, making them indispensable in a variety of applications including imaging, optical communication, remote sensing, and biological detection. Recently, antimony selenide (Sb₂Se₃) has achieved remarkable progress due to its earth-abundant, low toxicity, low price, suitable bandgap width, high absorption coefficient, and unique structural characteristics. Sb₂Se₃ has been extensively studied in solar cells, but there's a lack of timely updates in the field of PDs. A literature review based on Sb₂Se₃ PDs is urgently warranted. This review aims to provide a concise understanding of the latest progress in Sb₂Se₃ PDs, with a focus on the basic characteristics and the performance optimization for Sb₂Se₃ photoconductive-type and photodiode-type detectors, including nanostructure regulation, process optimization, and stability improvement of flexible devices. Furthermore, the application progresses of Sb₂Se₃ PDs in heart rate monitoring, and monolithic-integrated matrix images are introduced. Finally, this review presents various strategies with potential and feasibility to address challenges for the rapid development and commercial application of Sb₂Se₃ PDs.