Emerging Thermal Detectors Based on Low-Dimensional Materials: Strategies and Progress

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Traditional photon detectors face limitations in spectral response and operating conditions.
• Conventional thermosensitive materials present a trade-off between thermal properties and response performance.
• Low-dimensional materials offer ultralow thermal capacitance and tunable thermoelectric properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the working principles and device architectures of thermal detectors based on low-dimensional materials (TDLMs).
• To highlight the advantages of integrating low-dimensional materials with metasurfaces for enhanced photodetection.
• To explore the potential of TDLMs for multidimensional light field sensing.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of TDLM principles and architectures.
• Analysis of metasurface designs for light localization and heat transfer optimization.
• Summary of recent research advancements in TDLMs.

Main Results:

• Metasurface integration overcomes low light absorption efficiency in TDLMs.
• TDLMs achieve full Stokes polarization detection capability.
• Metasurfaces enhance light localization and interfacial heat transfer.

Conclusions:

• TDLMs represent a paradigm shift towards multidimensional light field sensing.
• Applications include wideband communication, flexible sensing, and advanced photodetection.
• Future development requires addressing current challenges in TDLM technology.