posted on 2020-03-23, 12:34authored byShu-Yuan Chiang, Yueh-Yuan Li, Tien-Lin Shen, Mario Hofmann, Yang-Fang Chen
We here describe
a novel type of long-wavelength radiation detector
that measures illumination intensity at room temperature through mechanical
transduction. Compared to semiconductor-based bolometers, our nanomechanical
detector exhibits low measurement noise and is inherently transparent
and flexible. The presented solid-state device is based on a 2D-material
film that acts as radiation absorber and detector of mechanical strain
at the substrate–absorber interface. Optimization of the 2D
material properties and realization of a novel edge-on device geometry
combines unprecedented detectivity of 3.34 × 108 cm
Hz1/2 W–1 with micrometer-scale spatial
resolution. The observed combination of superior performance with
the facile and scalable fabrication using only liquid processes shows
the potential of the presented detector for future ubiquitous and
wearable electronics.