A Broadband Photodetector Based on PbS Quantum Dots and Graphene with High Responsivity and Detectivity

A high-efficiency photodetector consisting of colloidal PbS quantum dots (QDs) and single-layer graphene was prepared in this research. In the early stage, PbS QDs were synthesized and characterized, and the results showed that the product conformed with the characteristics of high-quality PbS QDs. Afterwards, the photodetector was derived through steps, including the photolithography and etching of indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes and the graphene active region, as well as the spin coating and ligand substitution of the PbS QDs. After application testing, the photodetector, which was prepared in this research, exhibited outstanding properties. Under visible and near-infrared light, the highest responsivities were up to 202 A/W and 183 mA/W, respectively, and the highest detectivities were up to 2.24 × 10¹¹ Jones and 2.47 × 10⁸ Jones, respectively, with light densities of 0.56 mW/cm² and 1.22 W/cm², respectively. In addition to these results, the response of the device and the rise and fall times for the on/off illumination cycles showed its superior performance, and the fastest response times were approximately 0.03 s and 1.0 s for the rise and fall times, respectively. All the results illustrated that the photodetector based on PbS and graphene, which was prepared in this research, possesses the potential to be applied in reality.