A Wide-Range Photosensitive Weyl Semimetal Single Crystal-TaAs

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• Room temperature (RT) mid- and long-infrared photodetection is crucial for modern optoelectronic devices but remains challenging.
• Weyl semimetals offer unique electronic properties due to broken Lorentz invariance, leading to tilted chiral Weyl cones.
• These properties enable photocurrent generation at long wavelengths and enhance photodetector efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of Weyl semimetals for high-performance photodetectors.
• To develop and characterize a room temperature photodetector prototype based on Weyl semimetal TaAs.
• To demonstrate broadband photodetection capabilities from visible to long-infrared spectrum.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a photodetecting prototype using Weyl semimetal TaAs.
• Experimental characterization of the photodetector's response across a wide spectral range.
• Analysis of the material's electronic band structure and optical absorption properties.

Main Results:

• The TaAs photodetector operates effectively at room temperature (RT).
• The device demonstrates an outstanding photodetection response spanning from the visible to the long-infrared range.
• Weyl semimetal properties contribute to high carrier mobility, suppressed thermal carriers, and a large absorption coefficient.

Conclusions:

• Weyl semimetal TaAs is a promising material for advanced photodetector applications.
• The developed TaAs photodetector exhibits excellent broadband, room temperature performance.
• This research is expected to significantly advance the field of modern optoelectronics and photonics.