Enhanced lead sulfide quantum dots infrared photodetector performance through ligand exchange

Narrow bandgap lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) are solution-processed materials used for optoelectronic applications in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range (1400 - 3000 nm). The PbS QDs based photodetector has achieved comparable detectivity with current commercial SWIR sensors. However, there are still obstacles towards commercialization in commonly used layer by layer (LbL) deposition, such as high material consumption and low reproducibility. Here, we developed a new ligand exchange strategy to prepare ligand exchanged QD inks for single-step PbS film deposition. Compared with LbL deposition, the EQE of PbS QD photodetector made by single-step deposition has improved from 31% to 53%. The EQE and responsivity can be further improved to 95% with IR transparent electrode.