Promoted Mid-Infrared Photodetection of PbSe Film by Iodine Sensitization Based on Chemical Bath Deposition

In recent years, lead selenide (PbSe) has gained considerable attention for its potential applications in optoelectronic devices. However, there are still some challenges in realizing mid-infrared detection applications with single PbSe film at room temperature. In this paper, we use a chemical bath deposition method to deposit PbSe thin films by varying deposition time. The effects of the deposition time on the structure, morphology, and optical absorption of the deposited PbSe films were investigated by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and infrared spectrometer. In addition, in order to activate the mid-infrared detection capability of PbSe, we explored its application in infrared photodetection by improving its crystalline quality and photoconductivity and reducing tge noise and high dark current of PbSe thin films through subsequent iodine treatment. The iodine sensitization PbSe film showed superior photoelectric properties compared to the untreated sample, which exhibited the maximum of responsiveness, which is 30.27 A/W at 808 nm, and activated its detection ability in the mid-infrared (5000 nm) by introducing PbI(2), increasing the barrier height of the crystallite boundary and carrier lifetimes. This facile synthesis strategy and the sensitization treatment process provide a potential experimental scheme for the simple, rapid, low-cost, and efficient fabrication of large-area infrared PbSe devices.