High-Performance Phototransistors Based on MnPSe₃ and Its Hybrid Structures with Au Nanoparticles

Abstract

Layered metal thiophosphates with a general formula MPX₃ (M is a group VIIB or VIII element and X is a chalcogen) have emerged as a novel member in a two-dimensional (2D) family with fascinating physical and chemical properties. Herein, the photoelectric performance of the few-layer MnPSe₃ was studied for the first time. The multilayer MnPSe₃ shows p-type conductivity and its field-effect transistor delivers an ultralow dark current of about 0.1 pA. The photoswitching ratio reaches ∼10³ at a wavelength of 375 nm, superior to that of other thiophosphates. A responsivity and detectivity of 392.78 mA/W and 2.19 × 10⁹ Jones, respectively, have been demonstrated under irradiation of 375 nm laser with a power intensity of 0.1 mW/cm². In particular, the photocurrent can be remarkably increased up to 30 times by integrating a layer of Au nanoparticle array at the bottom of the MnPSe₃ layer. The metal-semiconductor interfacial electric field and the strain-induced flexoelectric polarization field caused by the underlying nanorugged Au nanoparticles are proposed to contribute together to the significant current improvement.