High-Mobility p-Type Te_xSe_{1- x} Films With Yb-Enabled Oxidation Suppression for Short-Wave Infrared Imaging Detection

Scalable high-mobility p-type semiconductor films hold considerable promise for advancing the performance of both photoelectronic devices and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technologies. Currently, tellurium (Te)-based semiconductors exhibit high intrinsic hole mobility and compatibility with low-temperature processing, making them promising candidates for cost-effective p-type materials. However, owing to their low Gibbs free energy, they are prone to oxidation into TeO₂, which introduces deep-level defects and severely degrades hole transport, thereby hindering practical applications. Here, we present an effective antioxidant strategy based on ytterbium (Yb) doping, wherein the strong Te-Yb bonding and high oxygen affinity of Yb effectively suppress the oxidation of Te to TeO₂, fundamentally stabilizing Te_xSe_{1- x} alloys. The resulting Te_0.7Se_0.3:Yb films exhibit a remarkable hole mobility of 177.5 cm² V^-1 s^-1. Furthermore, ZnO/Te_0.7Se_0.3:Yb photodetectors achieve a high responsivity of 0.21 A/W at 1300 nm, enabling multispectral imaging for precise target discrimination. These results demonstrate the Yb-enabled oxidation suppression for Te-based semiconductor, making a crucial stride toward the establishment of commercially viable high-mobility p-type semiconductor technology and short-wavelength infrared photoelectronics.