Polarization-sensitive and wide-spectrum photovoltaic detector based on quasi-1D ZrGeTe4 nanoribbon

Low-dimensional semiconductors with in-plane anisotropy and narrow bandgap have been extensively applied to polarized detection in the near-infrared (NIR) region. However, the narrow bandgap can cause noise owing to the high dark current in photodetectors. This article reports quasi-1D ZrGeTe 4 nanoribbon-based photodetectors with low dark current and broadband polarization detection. The photodetector was fabricated by evaporating 50-nm-thick Au electrodes on a ZrGeTe 4 nanoribbon. Benefiting from the photovoltaic characteristics in the ZrGeTe 4 nanoribbon and Au electrodes, these photodetectors can operate without bias voltage, with decreased dark current, and improved device performance. Furthermore, the quasi-1D ZrGeTe 4 nanoribbon-based photodetectors demonstrate a polarization sensitivity in a broadband from visible (VIS) to the NIR region, such as a high photoresponsivity of 625.65 mA W −1 , large external quantum efficiency of 145.9% at 532 nm, and photocurrent anisotropy ratio of 2.04 at 1064 nm. They exhibit a novel perpendicular optical reversal of 90° in polarization-sensitive photodetection, angle-resolved absorption spectra, and azimuth-dependent reflectance difference microscopy (ADRDM) from VIS to the NIR region, as opposed to other nanoribbon-based polarization-sensitive photodetectors. This work paves the way for utilizing photovoltaic photodetectors based on low-dimensional materials for broad-spectrum polarized photodetection.