Schottky infrared detectors with optically tunable barriers beyond the internal photoemission limit

Internal photoemission is a prominent branch of the photoelectric effect and has emerged as a viable method for detecting photons with energies below the semiconductor bandgap. This breakthrough has played a significant role in accelerating the development of infrared imaging in one chip with state-of-the-art silicon techniques. However, the performance of these Schottky infrared detectors is currently hindered by the limit of internal photoemission; specifically, a low Schottky barrier height is inevitable for the detection of low-energy infrared photons. Herein, a distinct paradigm of Schottky infrared detectors is proposed to overcome the internal photoemission limit by introducing an optically tunable barrier. This device uses an infrared absorbing material-sensitized Schottky diode, assisted by the highly adjustable Fermi level of graphene, which subtly decouples the photon energy from the Schottky barrier height. Correspondingly, a broadband photoresponse spanning from ultraviolet to mid-wave infrared is achieved, with a high specific detectivity of 9.83 × 10¹⁰ cm Hz^1/2 W^-1 at 2,700 nm and an excellent specific detectivity of 7.2 × 10⁹ cm Hz^1/2 W^-1 at room temperature under blackbody radiation. These results address a key challenge in internal photoemission and hold great promise for the development of the Schottky infrared detector with high sensitivity and room temperature operation.