Artificial intelligence driven Mid-IR photoimaging device based on van der Waals heterojunctions of black phosphorus

Abstract Mid-infrared (Mid-IR) photodetection and imaging are pivotal across diverse applications, including remote sensing, communication, and spectral analysis. Among these, single-pixel imaging technology is distinguished by its exceptional sensitivity, high resolution attainable through the sampling system, and economic efficiency. The quality of single-pixel imaging primarily depends on the performance of the photodetector and the sampling system. Photodetectors based on black phosphorus (BP) exhibit low dark current, high specific detectivity ( D * ), and room-temperature operability. Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted sampling systems feature efficient and intelligent data reconstruction capabilities. In this work, we demonstrate an AI-driven black phosphorus (BP)/molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 )/hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) heterojunction for Mid-IR photodetection and imaging. By optimizing the thickness of the heterojunction, the quality of the interface, and the AI algorithm, we achieved high-performance Mid-IR photodetection and imaging. Specifically, the photodetector has a responsivity of 0.25 A/W at a wavelength of 3,390 nm, an extremely high D * of 3.7 × 10 9 Jones, a response speed as low as 7 ms, and after AI optimization, the image contrast ratio has been improved from 0.227 to 0.890. At the same time, the sampling rate requirement can be reduced to 25 %. Our research indicates that the efficient combination of BP heterojunction photodetectors and AI technology is expected to accelerate the development of Mid-IR photodetectors and imaging systems.