Photoconductive PbSe thin films for infrared imaging

Abstract

Lead selenide (PbSe) emerged 70+ years ago for its unique photoconductive sensitivity to the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) spectrum; however, new and exciting research continues to ignite interest in this material to this day. PbSe has endured primarily due to its high IR responsivity at room temperature (uncooled), large-area application space, and low-cost fabrication. PbSe has a large nominal Bohr exciton radius (∼46 nm) that allows bandgap tuning from 0.27 eV to as far as 2.0 eV by manipulation of grain size and morphology. This review aims to summarize the most recent state-of-the-art progress in PbSe photoconductivity research, including synthesized quantum-dots (QDs) and novel manufacturing methods.