Photo-induced crystallization of metal-organic chalcogenide films for large-area photodetector arrays

Abstract

Metal–organic chalcogenides have emerged as a promising class of semiconductors due to their tunable optoelectronic properties and solution processability. However, the formation of thin film and integration into optoelectronic devices remain challenging. Here, we report a photo-induced crystallization strategy for fabricating silver phenylselenolate (AgSePh) films directly from Ag and Ph2Se2 precursors under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. In this process, surface oxidation of Ag and the homolytic cleavage of Ph2Se2, both are induced by UV irradiation, synergistically generate Ag+and PhSe-species, which subsequently couple to form uniform AgSePh thin film. Based on this thin film, we for the first time demonstrate AgSePh-based diode-type photodetectors exhibiting efficient photoresponse, achieving a detectivity of 3.58 × 1011Jones at 450 nm. Moreover, we fabricate a large-area (81 cm2) AgSePh thin film and demonstrate the passive-matrix image sensors comprising of 100 photodetector pixels. Our work provides a facile route for producing stable AgSePh films and demonstrate the potential of metal-organic chalcogenides in next-generation optoelectronic devices.