Near-infrared photodetection based on erbium chloride borate nanobelts

Erbium compound materials have attracted enormous attentions due to their superior optical properties. Under near-infrared laser illumination at 1530 or 976 nm, these nanobelts exhibit efficient up-conversion fluorescence emission in visible region. A hybrid photodetector based on the synthesized erbium chloride borate nanobelts and a cadmium sulfide nanoribbon. The nice photoresponse of the photodetecor in the near-infrared region, especially in the communication band, is contributed by the effective radiative energy transfer from the erbium ions to the CdS semiconductor. This work provides a feasible basis for the application of rare earth compound nanostructure to high performance near-infrared photodetection devices.