Single Pixel Black Phosphorus Photodetector for Near‐Infrared Imaging

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 14; no. 2
• Main Authors: Miao, Jinshui, Song, Bo, Xu, Zhihao, Cai, Le, Zhang, Suoming, Dong, Lixin, Wang, Chuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-01-2018
• Subjects: 2D semiconductors; black phosphorus; Cameras; compressive sensing; Digital imaging; Image reconstruction; Infrared cameras; Infrared imagery; Infrared imaging; Infrared imaging systems; Infrared lasers; Military applications; Nanomaterials; Nanotechnology; near‐infrared imaging; Phosphorus; photodetectors; Photometers; Pixels; Shot noise; Thickness; Thin films; near-infrared imaging; photodetectors; 2D semiconductors; black phosphorus; compressive sensing
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.201702082

Infrared imaging systems have wide range of military or civil applications and 2D nanomaterials have recently emerged as potential sensing materials that may outperform conventional ones such as HgCdTe, InGaAs, and InSb. As an example, 2D black phosphorus (BP) thin film has a thickness‐dependent direct bandgap with low shot noise and noncryogenic operation for visible to mid‐infrared photodetection. In this paper, the use of a single‐pixel photodetector made with few‐layer BP thin film for near‐infrared imaging applications is demonstrated. The imaging is achieved by combining the photodetector with a digital micromirror device to encode and subsequently reconstruct the image based on compressive sensing algorithm. Stationary images of a near‐infrared laser spot (λ = 830 nm) with up to 64 × 64 pixels are captured using this single‐pixel BP camera with 2000 times of measurements, which is only half of the total number of pixels. The imaging platform demonstrated in this work circumvents the grand challenges of scalable BP material growth for photodetector array fabrication and shows the efficacy of utilizing the outstanding performance of BP photodetector for future high‐speed infrared camera applications.
A near‐infrared camera using a single black phosphorus (BP) photodetector is reported. The imaging is achieved by combining the photodetector with a digital micromirror device to encode and subsequently reconstruct the image based on a compressive sensing algorithm. Stationary images of a near‐infrared laser spot with up to 64 × 64 pixels are successfully captured using this single‐pixel BP camera.