Elucidating the Gain Mechanism in PbS Colloidal Quantum Dot Visible–Near-Infrared Photodiodes

The responsivities of colloidal quantum dot (CQD) photodiodes are not satisfactory (∼0.3 A W–1) due to the lack of gain. Here, visible–near-infrared PbS CQD photodiodes with a peak responsivity of ∼1 A W–1 and external quantum efficiencies larger than 100% are demonstrated. The gain is realized by electron tunneling injection through the Schottky junction (PbS-EDT/Au) with barrier height reduced to 0.27 eV, originating from the capture of photogenerated holes at the negatively charged acceptor traps generated in the oxidized hole-transport layer PbS-EDT. The resulting device exhibits a peak detectivity of ∼8 × 1011 jones at −1 V. Additionally, the response speed (400 μs) is not sacrificed by the trap states because of the dominated faster electron drift motion in the fully depleted device. Our results provide an accurate elucidation of the gain mechanism in CQD photodiodes and promise them great potential in weak light detection.