Gate-controlled ambipolar transport in b-AsP crystals and their VIS-NIF photodetection

As a new two-dimensional elemental layered semiconductor, black phosphorus (b-P) has received tremendous attention due to its excellent physical and chemical properties and has potential applications in the fields of catalysis, energy, and micro/nano-optoelectronic devices. However, studies have found that b-P is very unstable and will decompose within a few minutes under humid air conditions. Element doping is an effective method for adjusting the physical and chemical properties of crystals. Theoretical and experimental studies have confirmed that the stability of b-P crystals is significantly improved after arsenic doping, and the crystals also exhibit excellent photoresponse and electrical transport performances. In this work, we investigate the physical properties of a component of black arsenic phosphorus crystals (b-As0.084P0.916) and the potential applications in field effect transistors (FETs) and broadband photodetectors. An obvious ambipolar behavior is observed in the transfer characteristics of b-As0.084P0.916 based FETs, with drain current modulation on the order of 105 and the highest charge-carrier mobility of up to 147 cm2 V-1 s-1. The physisorption of atmospheric species on the surface of the FETs is the main factor for the formation of Schottky contacts between the Au electrodes and the b-As0.084P0.916 crystal. Temperature-dependent electrical characteristics show that the Fermi level shifts from the valence band to the middle level between the conduction band and valence band as the temperature decreases. In addition, the FETs also exhibit excellent photoresponse properties from the visible to near-infrared region (450-2200 nm), with a responsivity of 37 A W-1, a specific detectivity of 7.18 × 1010 Jones, and a fast response speed (τrise ≈ 0.04 s and τdecay ≈ 0.14 s). These results suggest that b-As0.084P0.916 crystals are a promising candidate for future electronic and optoelectronic devices.