Van der Waals/MCT Heterostructure Enabled High-Performance Uncooled Mid-Infrared Photodetectors via Synergistic Suppression of Dark Current and Interfacial Recombination

Van der Waals/MCT Heterostructure Enabled High-Performance Uncooled Mid-Infrared Photodetectors via Synergistic Suppression of Dark Current and Interfacial Recombination | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Van der Waals/MCT Heterostructure Enabled High-Performance Uncooled Mid-Infrared Photodetectors via Synergistic Suppression of Dark Current and Interfacial Recombination Zhenhua Ni, Xinlei Zhang, Tao Zhou, Yueying Cui, Ruizhi Li, Yuwei Zhang, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7007209/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) photodetection is crucial for applications such as night vision, remote sensing, spectral imaging and optical communication, yet its room-temperature operation faces a fundamental challenge of excessive dark current. While high-operating-temperature (HOT) HgCdTe (MCT) devices mitigate this issue through band structure engineering, their practical implementation is hindered by the intricate multilayer heteroepitaxy and lattice-mismatch-induced interfacial defects. To simultaneously resolve these bottlenecks, we develop a van der Waals heterostructure strategy by integrating 2D materials with MCT. The constructed MoS 2 /graphene/MCT vdW heterostructure synergistically addresses both the dark current and interfacial constraints. The p-n junction formed across the MoS 2 /graphene/MCT induces a strong built-in electric field and potential barrier, effectively suppressing dark current. Meanwhile, the interlayer graphene minimizes trap-assisted recombination and facilitates efficient photocarrier transport. Compared with MoS 2 /MCT and graphene/MCT heterojunction, the MoS 2 /graphene/MCT vdW photodetector achieves an order-of-magnitude improvement in detectivity across visible to MWIR range. The optimized device architecture demonstrates a responsivity of ~ 0.35 A W − 1 and a peak detectivity of ~ 8 × 10 10 cm Hz 1/2 W − 1 under room-temperature blackbody radiation, outperforming state-of-the-art uncooled MWIR photodetectors. This work provides a feasible strategy for designing high-performance uncooled MCT-based infrared photodetector through 2D/MCT integration. Physical sciences/Physics/Electronics, photonics and device physics/Photonic devices Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Applied optics/Mid-infrared photonics mid-infrared photodetector interfacial recombination suppression van der Waals heterostructures uncooled infrared photodetector Full Text Additional Declarations There is no conflict of interest Supplementary Files 20250630SupportingInformation.docx Supporting information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7007209","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":482076916,"identity":"a7b8300a-f484-4888-a431-8972474dd45f","order_by":0,"name":"Zhenhua 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