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Ultrahigh-gain colloidal quantum dot infrared avalanche photodetectors

Nature Nanotechnology volume 20, pages 237–245 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising for infrared photodetectors with high detectivity and low-cost production. Although CQDs enable photoinduced charge multiplication, thermal noise in low-bandgap materials limits their performance in IR detectors. Here we present a pioneering architecture of a CQD-based infrared photodetector that uses kinetically pumped avalanche multiplication. By applying a strong electric field to a thick CQD layer (>540 nm), electrons acquire kinetic energy beyond the bandgap of the CQD material, initiating kinetically pumped charge multiplication. Optimizing the dot-to-dot distance to approximately 4.1 nm improves performance by balancing impact ionization and electron hopping. Our optimized CQD-based infrared photodetector achieved a maximum multiplication gain of 85 and a peak detectivity of 1.4 × 1014 Jones at 940 nm. This architecture offers potential for single-photon detection and ultrahigh detectivity applications.

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Fig. 1: Assessment of multiplication mechanism in CQD-based IRPDs.
Fig. 2: Characterization of CQD solids with thiol-based ligands.
Fig. 3: DFT calculations for thiol-treated CQDs.
Fig. 4: Device performance of CQD-based IRPDs under a 940 nm IR source.

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Data availability

The primary data underpinning the findings of this study are available within the article and its Supplementary Information. Additional data are available from the corresponding author upon request. Source data are provided with this paper.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIT) (grant numbers NRF-2022M3H4A1A03076626, 2023R1A2C3003245 and RS-2024-00416978).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Byeongsu Kim, Jihyung Lee, Sungjun Cho, Yun Hoo Kim, Min-Ho Lee & Jung-Yong Lee

  2. Information and Electronics Research Institute, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Byeongsu Kim & Sang Yeon Lee

  3. Sensors and Actuators Team (SAT), Interuniversity Microelectronics (IMEC), Leuven, Belgium

    Sang Yeon Lee

  4. Carbon Neutrality and Materials Digitalization Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology (KICET), Jinju, Republic of Korea

    Hyunseok Ko & Hyejeong Song

  5. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Hyejeong Song

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Contributions

B.K., S.Y.L. and H.K. contributed equally to this study. B.K., S.Y.L., H.K. and J.-Y.L. developed the concept and prepared the paper. B.K. and J.L. characterized the electrical properties of each film. J.L. and S.C optimized the structure of each device. S.Y.L. characterized the chemical properties in each film. H.K. and H.S. developed the DFT calculation. Y.H.K. prepared the sample and measured the time-resolved PL spectroscopy. M.L. constructed the two-dimensional device models. J.-Y.L. supervised the study. All the authors discussed the results and commented on the paper.

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Correspondence to Jung-Yong Lee.

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Kim, B., Lee, S.Y., Ko, H. et al. Ultrahigh-gain colloidal quantum dot infrared avalanche photodetectors. Nat. Nanotechnol. 20, 237–245 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-024-01831-x

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