Performance analysis of photodetectors based on 2D materials and heterostructures

The unprecedented demand for sophisticated, self-powered, compact, ultrafast,\ncost-effective, and broadband light sensors for a myriad of applications has\nspurred a lot of research, precipitating in a slew of studies over the last\ndecade. Apart from the photosensing ability of an active element in the light\nsensor, the device architecture is crucial in terms of photoinduced charge\ncarrier generation and separation. Since the inception of graphene and the\nsubsequent research growth in the atomically thin 2D materials, researchers\nhave developed and adapted different families of 2D materials and device\narchitectures, including single element 2D, 0D/2D, 2D/2D, 1D/ 2D stacked\nstructures, and so on. This review discusses the recent reports on the\nlight-sensing properties of various 2D materials, their heterostructures, and\ncharacteristics applicable to the ultraviolet-near infrared (UV-NIR),\nshort-wave IR (SWIR), mid-wave IR (MWIR), long-wave IR (LWIR), and terahertz\n(THz) spectral ranges. It highlights the novelty of the burgeoning field, the\nheightened activity at the boundaries of engineering and materials science,\nparticularly in the generation of charge carriers, their separation, and\nextraction, and the increased understanding of the underpinning science through\nmodern experimental approaches. Devices based on the simultaneous effects of\nthe pyro-phototronic effect (PPE) and the localized surface plasmon resonance\n(LSPR) effect, the photothermoelectric effect (PTE)-assisted photodetectors\n(PDs), waveguide-integrated silicon-2D PDs, metal-2D-metal PDs, and organic\nmaterial PDs are examined rigorously. Theoretical treatment utilizing various\ncomputational approaches to investigate 2D materials and heterostructures for\nphotodetection applications is also briefly discussed.\n