Quantum-Size-Effect Tuning Enables Narrowband IR Photodetection with Low Sunlight Interference

Infrared photodetection enables depth imaging techniques such as structured light and time-of-flight. Traditional photodetectors rely on silicon (Si); however, the bandgap of Si limits photodetection to wavelengths shorter than 1100 nm. Photodetector operation centered at 1370 nm benefits from lower sunlight interference due to atmospheric absorption. Here, we report 1370 nm-operating colloidal quantum dot (CQD) photodetectors and evaluate their outdoor performance. We develop a surface-ligand engineering strategy to tune the electronic properties of each CQD layer and fabricate photodetectors in an inverted (PIN) architecture. The strategy enables photodetectors with an external quantum efficiency of 75% and a low dark current (1 μA/cm2). Outdoor testing demonstrates that CQD-based photodetectors combined with a 10 nm-line width bandpass filter centered at 1370 nm achieve over 2 orders of magnitude (140× at incident intensity 1 μW/cm2) higher signal-to-background ratio than do Si-based photodetectors that use an analogous bandpass filter centered at 905 nm.