Recent Advances in Group III–V Nanowire Infrared Detectors

Abstract

1D III–V semiconductor nanowires (NWs) attract significant interests in fundamental physics and promising applications of high-performance room-temperature infrared (IR) detectors. Here, a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the study of III–V NW-based IR detectors is presented, starting from the rationale of III–V NWs for IR detectors, the controllable synthesis of III–V NWs to the precise manipulation of III–V NW-based IR detector performances. With a bandgap covering the whole IR wavelength range and a high carrier mobility, III–V NWs are considered as the most optimal channel materials for high-performance IR detectors. The synthesis methods and growth mechanisms of high quality III–V NWs are discussed, emphasizing the low-cost solid source chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique, which is developed as the two-step and surfactant-assisted CVD methods in the growth of various III–V NWs. Next, the representative types of III–V NW IR detectors are discussed and typical strategies to resolve main challenges limiting the performance of III–V NW-based IR detectors are reviewed, including high density of surface trap states, large dark current, etc. Finally, the possible challenges and opportunities in the future development of III–V NW-based IR detectors are discussed.