High-Performance Graphene/β-Ga2O3 Heterojunction Deep-Ultraviolet Photodetector with Hot-Electron Excited Carrier Multiplication

Solar-blind ultraviolet (SBUV) detection has important applications in wireless secure communication, early warning, and so forth. However, the desired key device for SBUV detection and high-sensitivity and low-noise "sandwich" photodetector with large detective area is difficult to be fabricated because it is usually hard for traditional wide band gap semiconductors to boast both high conductivity and high SBUV transparency. Here, we proposed to use graphene as the transparent conductive layer to form graphene/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction. With the help of large-area graphene and hot carrier multiplication, a SBUV photodetector with large detective area, low dark current, and high sensitivity was successfully assembled. Its photoresponsivity is 1–3 orders of magnitude higher than that of the conventional SBUV photodetectors, and its response speed can rival the best device ever reported.