Abstract
Organic semiconductor materials have shown unique advantages in the development of optoelectronic devices due to their ease of preparation, low cost, lightweight, and flexibility. In this work, we explored the application of the organic semiconductor Y6-1O single crystal in photodetection devices. Firstly, Y6-1O single crystal material was prepared on a silicon substrate using solution droplet casting method. The optical properties of Y6-1O material were characterized by polarized optical microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, etc., confirming its highly single crystalline performance and emission properties in the near-infrared region. Phototransistors based on Y6-1O materials with different thicknesses were then fabricated and tested. It was found that the devices exhibited good visible to near-infrared photoresponse, with the maximum photoresponse in the near-infrared region at 785 nm. The photocurrent on/off ratio reaches 1
Organic semiconductors have attracted increasing attentions in the application of modern electronics and optoelectronics because of their outstanding optoelectronic properties, flexibility, low cost and solution-processable advantage
Recent advancements in the design of narrow-bandgap conjugated small molecules and polymers have led to the development of high-performance organic semiconductor materials, broading their application spectrum furthe
In this work, we fabricated a phototransistor based on the Y6-1O single crystal and had systematically studied its photoresponse from visible to the NIR. We found that the photodetector based on Y6-1O shows excellent photoresponsivity with low dark current. And the maximum optical photoresponse occurs at 785 nm in the NIR region, which aligns well with the photoluminescence spectroscopy of the Y6-1O. Furthermore, we observed that the photoresponsivity increases with the thickness of Y6-1O single crystals. These results shown the organic semiconductor single crystal Y6-1O could function as a promising infrared photodetector in the future organic optoelectronics. It can not only contribute to the advancements in infrared detection technology, but also paves the way for novel application of organic semiconductor materials in the field of photodetection.
The Y6-1O single crystals were made through the droplet casting method on the heavily p-doped silicon substrate with a 285 nm-thick oxidation layer. In this process, 20 μL of 0.5 mg/ml of Y6-1O xylene solution was dispensed onto the clean substrate, and placed in the N2 glove box for 12 hours to allow solvent evaporation. Subsequently, Y6-1O single crystal with suitable length and thickness were selected through the optical microscope, and micro sized metal mask were used to fabricate the electrode. Au electrodes of 60 nm-thick was deposited through a thermal evaporation system at a rate of 2 angstroms per second. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra were measured using the laser micro confocal spectrometer (Renishaw, 532 nm excitation laser). Optoelectrical characterization of the Y6-1O based phototransistor was conducted using a Keithley 4200A-SCS parameter analyzer in the lakeshore probe station. Laser diode operating at different wavelengths were used as the optical lightsource to measure the photoresponse of the device.
The molecule structure of Y6-1O is shown in

Fig. 1 Y6-1O organic semiconductor materials and characterization:(a) Y6-1O atomic structure with high conjugation; (b) polarization optical microscope image of Y6-1O single crystal (scale: 20 μm), the arrows indicate the polarization of the incident and collected light; (c) field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of Y6-1O organic transistors; (d) atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of Y6-1O organic transistors; (e) thickness profile of Y6-1O organic materials and their corresponding optical images; (f) photoluminescence (PL) spectral properties of Y6-1O crystals with 1 060 nm, 660 nm and 106 nm thickness
图1 Y6-1O有机材料及表征分析:(a)具有高度共轭性的Y6-1O原子结构;(b)Y6-1O单晶的偏振光学显微镜图像(比尺:20 μm);(c)Y6-1O有机晶体管的场发射扫描电镜(SEM)图像;(d)Y6-1O有机晶体管的原子力显微镜(AFM)图像;(e)Y6-1O有机材料的厚度梯度及其光学图像;(f)1 060 nm、660 nm、106 nm厚度Y6-1O晶体的光致发光(PL)光谱响应
The phototransistors based on the Y6-1O single crystal with different thicknesses were fabricated on the Si/SiO2 substrates. Figure
We firstly investigated the optoelectronic properties of the Y6-1O with a thickness of 108 nm. As shown in Fig.

Fig. 2 Electrical and photoresponse of Y6-1O phototransistor with thickness of 106 nm:(a) output characteristic curve at different bias gate voltages; (b) transfer characteristic curves under different drain-source voltages; (c) transfer characteristic curves at different power densities of 638 nm, Vds = 40 V; (d) schematic diagram of photoresponse band of Y6-1O crystal; (e) photoresponse of Y6-1O transistor at different power densities of incident light at 638 nm and 405 nm, Vds = 40 V; (f) the photocurrent of 638 nm and 405 nm irradiation as a function of the incident light power
图2 106 nm厚Y6-1O单晶材料晶体管的光电特性:(a)不同偏置栅电压下的输出特性曲线;(b)不同漏-源电压下的转移特性曲线;(c)638 nm不同功率密度下的转移特性曲线,Vds = 40 V;(d)Y6-1O晶体光响应能带示意图;(e)Y6-1O晶体管在638 nm、405 nm入射光不同功率密度下的光响应,Vds = 40 V;(f)638 nm、405 nm光照射下的光电流随入射光功率的函数关系
The photoresponse for different wavelengths from visible light to NIR (405-980 nm) of Y6-1O phototransistor has been further studied under different backgate voltages, as shown in

Fig. 3 Photoresponse of Y6-1O under different gate voltages:(a-c) the photoresponses for light from 400 nm to 1 000 nm under different gate voltages of 40 V (a), 0 V (b), and -40 V (c), when P = 10 mW/c
图 3 Y6-1O不同栅压下的光响应行为:(a-c)不同栅压40 V (a)、0 V (b)、-40 V (c)条件下器件对400 nm至1 000 nm波长光的响应,入射光功率P = 10 mW/cm2,Vds = 40 V;(d-f)不同栅压条件下器件沟道材料能带结构图;(g)Y6-1O晶体管在40 V、0 V、-40 V栅压下光电流和响应率与光波长关系
As aforementioned, the optical properties of Y6-1O are also influenced by the thickness of single crystal. Hence, we investigated the optoelectronic photoresponse for the device with thicker Y6-1O.

Fig. 4 Photoresponse of Y6-1O with thickness of 660 nm:(a) photoresponse of the device for light from 400 nm to 1 000 nm, when Vds = 40 V, Vbg = 0 V; (b) (i)the photocurrent and power density relationship for different wavelengths; (b) (ii) the photo responsivity and power density relationship for different wavelengths; (c)the spectral response of Y6-1O phototransistors for different thicknesses (108 nm, 660 nm) when P=10 mW/c
图4 660 nm厚Y6-1O晶体管的光响应:(a)器件对从400 nm至1 000 nm不同波长光的响应,其中Vds = 40 V,Vbg = 0 V;(b)(i)器件对不同波长光响应电流与入射光功率的关系;(b)(ii)器件对不同波长光响应率与入射光功率的关系;(c)不同厚度Y6-1O晶体管的光谱响应,P = 10 mW/cm2
In summary, we made the organic semiconductor single crystal Y6-1O through the convenient droplet casting method. Polarized optical microscopy revealed the high-quality single crystal structure of Y6-1O, while PL properties suggest its suitability for use in NIR optoelectronic devices. Phototransistors based on Y6-1O with different thicknesses were thoroughly investigated. These devices exhibit low dark current and high photoresponsivity across the visible to NIR spectrum, with the peak photoresponse observed in the NIR region. Moreover, the spectral response of the Y6-1O photodetector could be tuned by adjusting both the gate voltage and the thickness of the sample. In particular, the device made with 660-nm-thick Y6-1O single crystal shows photoresponsivity of 16.6 mA/W for 785 nm light, and shows strong potential in application in the visible to NIR photodetection. Ultimately, this work highlights an alternative approach of developing novel NIR photodetectors using the organic semiconducting single crystals. Such devices hold promise for various applications including night vision monitoring, biomedical imaging, environmental monitoring, and wearable devices owing to their low cost, scalability, and flexibility characteristics.
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