Improving photodetector performance with gold
29 Jul 2013
The technique is designed to enhance the performance of electronic devices and offers an alternative to silicon or graphene.
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed the MoS2 photodetectors to incorporate the use of gold nanoparticles.
The mineral molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) used in the research offers semiconducting properties and is capable of absorbing visible light, making it useful in light-sensing photodetectors.
Assistant professor, Wei Chen, applied a single layer of gold nanoparticles to the top of a MoS2 photodetector.
The gold layer, which measures less than 15 billionths of a metre thick, is made up of fewer than 1000 particles and is capable of improving the photodetectors’ efficiency by a factor of three, according to Chen.
Chen said that the plasmon oscillations of individual nanoparticles, which enhance the local optical field, could be one reason for the improved performance of the photodetectors.
Chen stated that: “Adjustments that will tune the plasmon resonance wavelength of the metal nanostructure arrays (will) make it possible for MoS2 photodetectors to detect multiple colours for the first time.”
The findings were published today in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
