Ultrabroadband photosensitivity from visible to terahertz at room temperature.

Wu, Dong; Ma, Yongchang; Niu, Yingying; Liu, Qiaomei; Dong, Tao; Zhang, Sijie; Niu, Jiasen; Zhou, Huibin et al. · Sci Adv · 2018

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Charge density wave (CDW) is one of the most fundamental quantum phenomena in solids. Different from ordinary metals in which only single-particle excitations exist, CDW also has collective excitations and can carry electric current in a collective fashion. Manipulating this collective condensation for applications has long been a goal in the condensed matter and materials community. We show that the CDW system of 1T-TaS<sub>2</sub> is highly sensitive to light directly from visible down to terahertz, with current responsivities on the order of ~1 AW<sup>-1</sup> at room temperature. Our findings open a new avenue for realizing uncooled, ultrabroadband, and sensitive photoelectronics continuously down to the terahertz spectral range.