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Plasmonic hot carrier engineering holds great promise for advanced infrared optoelectronic devices. The process of hot carrier transfer has the potential to surpass the spectral limitations of semiconductors, enabling detection of sub‐bandgap infrared photons. By harvesting hot carriers prior to thermalization, energy dissipation is minimized, leading to highly efficient photoelectric conversion. Distinguished from conventional band‐edge carriers, the ultrafast interfacial transfer and ballistic transport of hot carriers present unprecedented opportunities for high‐speed photoelectric conversion. However, a complete description on the underlying mechanism of hot‐carrier infrared optoelectronic device is still lacking, and the utilization of this strategy for tailoring infrared response is in its early stages. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the generation, transfer and transport dynamics of hot carriers. Basic principles of hot‐carrier conversion in heterostructures are discussed in detail. In addition, progresses of two‐dimensional (2D) infrared hot‐carrier optoelectronic devices are summarized, with a specific emphasis on photodetectors, solar cells, light‐emitting devices and novel functionalities through hot‐carrier engineering. Furthermore, challenges and prospects of hot‐carrier device towards infrared applications are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Position-sensitive detectors (PSDs) are essential components to the realization of displacement and vibration detection, optical remote control, robot vision, etc. The light sensitivity of PSDs is a crucial parameter, which determines the operating range or detection accuracy of the measurement systems. Here, we devise an ultrasensitive PSD based on graphene/Si hybrid structure by using the synergistic effect of charge injection and interfacial gating. Photogenerated carriers in Si are separated by the built-in electric field at the surface. Holes diffuse laterally in inversion layer and then inject into graphene to form photoresponse. Meanwhile, the electrons in bulk Si that move to the area under graphene cause a gating effect, thus introducing a high gain. With the benefit of synergistic effect, the detection limit power of our device can be pushed to pW level, which is reduced by two orders of magnitude compared to previously reported graphene based PSD. Furthermore, even for infrared light of 1064 nm, the PSD still retains position sensitivity to 1 nW weak light, as well as fast response speed at the μs level. This work provides the potential of graphene as a promising material for ultraweak light position sensitive detection.

Mid-infrared (MIR) pulsed lasers operating in the ∼3 μm region play a crucial role in various applications, including molecular spectroscopy, ultrafast molecular imaging, and laser-assisted surgery. Despite recent advancements in MIR gain platforms, a notable technological challenge remains in the absence of an effective optical Q-switch. Here, a remarkable optical Q-switch in the 3 μm region based on a Dirac semimetal PtTe2 saturable absorber is realized. By modulating the surface state of PtTe2, the pulsed laser exhibited an increase in average power, escalating from 521 to 588 mW, accompanied by a significant decrease in pulse width from 368 to 187 ns. Nondegenerate pump–probe measurements showed that the recombination rate of the photocarrier in thinner PtTe2 nanoplates was effectively accelerated, primarily attributed to the substantial increase in surface state density, leading to better saturable absorption performance. As the thickness of the PtTe2 nanoplates decreases, the nonsaturable loss decreases from 12% to 3%, while the modulation depth increases from 6% to 12%. The enhanced ultrafast nonlinear absorption enables flexible modulation of saturation absorption parameters, which endows high-performance MIR pulsed laser generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrow‐bandgap 2D materials and semimetals, for example, graphene, black phosphorus (BP), tellurium (Te), and some novel transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), have been demonstrated to be promising building blocks for constructing next‐generation state‐of‐the‐art infrared (IR) photodetectors. However, these devices suffer from a significant dark current, primarily attributed to the intrinsic thermal excitation‐induced high carrier concentration. Suppressing the dark current is an essential issue in pursuing higher specific detectivity of IR photodetectors. Here, the authors demonstrate recent advances in suppressing dark current for 2D IR photodetectors. First, a brief insight into the dark current composition and mechanisms of 2D IR photodetectors is illustrated. Then, the varied band alignment for blocking dark current by the interfacial barrier is discussed. Next, localized electric field modulation by applying a gate voltage and ferroelectric materials is discussed. This method can effectively tune the concentration and distribution of carriers in the device conductive channel. Following that, interfacial engineering is summarized, by which interfacial defects can be passivated and interlayer defect‐induced dark current can be suppressed. Finally, the challenges and an outlook are delivered for developing state‐of‐the‐art IR photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wider color gamut represents the better reproducibility of the real natural colors. Perovskite materials exhibit promising potential in full-color wide-gamut displays because of the wide tunability and high saturability of their photon emission. However, the full-color wide gamut (>100% Rec.2020) has not been constructed due to the lack of the extreme red primary color (∼700 nm). Herein, the widest color gamut is realized, wherein α-CsPbI3 is used to generate the extreme red primary color. An in-situ encapsulation approach is advised to stabilize α-CsPbI3 at room temperature by means of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The α-CsPbI3 encapsulated by PVP (denoted as P-CPI) shows highly saturated (FWHM (full width at half maximum) ∼28 nm) and extremely (∼697 nm) red emission. The green emission is provided by P-CPBr (CsPbBr3 with PVP) which is also synthesized using the universal in-situ encapsulation approach. With the assistance of a commercial GaN chip, the RGB gamut is extended to the widest (151% NTSC, 113% Rec.2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensitivity stands as a critical figure of merit in assessing the performance of a photodetector and can be characterized by two distinct parameters: responsivity or detectivity. Simultaneous optimization of these two parameters is essential to ensure the applicability of a single detector across various scenarios, yet it remains a persistent challenge for mid-infrared photodetector. Here, we demonstrate that the construction of a photoconductive detector based on a MoS2/BP/MoS2 npn junction field-effect transistor configuration can effectively balance the tradeoffs between photoresponsivity and detectivity. In this device, the black phosphorus layer serves as the channel, while the top and bottom MoS2 layers act as photogates to boost the photocurrent. Consequently, a high-performance room-temperature-operating mid-infrared photodetector with a responsivity and detectivity reaching 9.04 A W−1 and 5.36 × 109 cm Hz1/2 W−1 (1550 nm), and 7.25 A W−1 and 4.29 × 109 cm Hz1/2 W−1 (3600 nm) is achieved. Our study provides an alternative structural design, enabling the applications of mid-infrared photodetectors across multiple scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, tremendous effort has been put into developing 2D semiconductor materials with a tunable bandgap by alloying different individual components. However, the bandgap bowing effect has hindered the ability to arbitrary control the emission of these alloys. In this study, we report the chemical vapor deposition growth of a graded-composition Mo1−xWxS2 monolayer alloy, in which the photoluminescence emission energy exhibits nearly linear variation in the bandgap, indicating the vanishing of the bandgap bowing effect. Polarized Raman measurements show that the polarization is composition dependent, and a large symmetry breaking occurs at the point where the bandgap bowing effect vanishes. This suggests that the vanishing of the bowing effect may be attributed to the symmetry breaking induced by compressive strain. Our findings demonstrate a significant advancement in the synthesis of alloys for future use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With outstanding advantages of chemical synthesis, structural diversity, and mechanical flexibility, molecular ferroelectrics have attracted increasing attention, demonstrating themselves as promising candidates for next‐generation wearable electronics and flexible devices in the film form. However, it remains a challenge to grow high‐quality thin films of molecular ferroelectrics. To address the above issue, a volume‐confined method is utilized to achieve ultrasmooth single‐crystal molecular ferroelectric thin films at the sub‐centimeter scale, with the thickness controlled in the range of 100–1000 nm. More importantly, the preparation method is applicable to most molecular ferroelectrics and has no dependency on substrates, showing excellent reproducibility and universality. To demonstrate the application potential, two‐dimensional (2D) transitional metal dichalcogenide semiconductor/molecular ferroelectric heterostructures are prepared and investigated by optical spectroscopic method, proving the possibility of integrating molecular ferroelectrics with 2D layered materials. These results may unlock the potential for preparing and developing high‐performance devices based on molecular ferroelectric thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]