Research Progress of Graphene-Based Photodetectors

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 858

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CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems, Via Campi Flegrei 34, I-80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
Interests: broadband photodetectors; graphene; silicon; heterojunctions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing interest in developing and enhancing the performance of light detectors has led to the exploration of new materials that could replace traditional silicon-based photodetectors (PDs). In recent years, one of the most promising 2D materials has been graphene (Gr), which has attracted tremendous attention due to its electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties, which make it promising for a variety of applications such as solar cells, field effect transistors, and photodetectors.

The integration of graphene with silicon to form heterojunctions is one of the strategies to improve the lifetime of the photogenerated carriers, leading to the development of high-performance optoelectronic devices. Recently, photodetectors based on graphene/Si heterojunctions have been developed, which exhibit high responsivity and detectivity.

This Special Issue will present recent progress in the fabrication, design, understanding, and applications of graphene-based photodetectors, covering different fields from optoelectronics and healthcare to energy storage and material sciences.

This Special Issue will present research papers, full-length technical articles, and rapid communications reporting novel experimental, theoretical, or simulation results dealing with graphene-based photodetectors. Review articles that offer comprehensive coverage of specific aspects or new insights and perspectives are welcome.

Dr. Carmela Bonavolontà
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • photodetectors
  • heterojunctions
  • graphene
  • carbon nanotubes
  • quantum sensors
  • optoelectronics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 9082 KB  
Article
Temperature Dependence of Electronic Transport Mechanisms in rGO-Based Photodetectors
by Carmela Bonavolontà, Antonio Vettoliere, Berardo Ruggiero, Carmine Granata and Massimo Valentino
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(4), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16040222 - 7 Feb 2026
Viewed by 458
Abstract
Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has attracted interest as a potential, cost-effective alternative to graphene layers produced by single-crystal thin-film growth techniques. Its solubility in various solvents, the ability to tune its optical and electrical properties, the ability to manipulate the optoelectronic properties of [...] Read more.
Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has attracted interest as a potential, cost-effective alternative to graphene layers produced by single-crystal thin-film growth techniques. Its solubility in various solvents, the ability to tune its optical and electrical properties, the ability to manipulate the optoelectronic properties of rGO-based heterojunctions, and the possibility of depositing it on flexible substrates broaden its potential applications, from electro-optical communications to environmental monitoring. In this work, we present a characterization of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) deposited on p-type Si3N4/Si substrate using different techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, optical transmittance, and current-voltage measurements under dark and illuminated conditions in the 400–700 nm range. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the photocurrent of the rGO-based photoconductive device was studied in the temperature range from 300 K to 77 K. It has been shown that the electron transport mechanism through the p-type rGO/SiN/Si heterojunction at low voltage involves mainly a hopping process at 77 K and a thermionic mechanism at room temperature. Furthermore, the Fowler–Nordheim tunneling and trap-limiting mechanisms allow the presence of charge carriers in the device at both temperatures. Estimation of the main figures of merit, responsivity, detectivity, and NEP, shows an improvement in photodetection performance at low temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress of Graphene-Based Photodetectors)
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