Infrared photodetector based on GeTe nanofilms with high performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Germanium telluride (GeTe) is a narrow band gap semiconductor with established applications in thermoelectricity, phase change memory, and switching.
• The potential of GeTe in photodetector technology remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using GeTe thin films for photodetector applications.
• To explore the effects of annealing on the material properties of GeTe thin films for optoelectronic devices.

Main Methods:

• GeTe thin films were synthesized using magnetron sputtering.
• Material structure, optical, and electrical properties were characterized before and after annealing treatments.

Main Results:

• Annealing significantly influenced the properties of GeTe thin films.
• High-performance photodetectors were fabricated using GeTe.
• Detectivity reached approximately 10^13 Jones at 850 nm light wavelength.

Conclusions:

• GeTe is a viable material for high-performance photodetector applications.
• This study introduces a novel application for GeTe in the field of optoelectronics.