Comparative study of the near-infrared detection of PbSe fabricated using a sputter deposition method

Near-infrared (NIR) light is used in nondestructive spectroscopies to analyze various compounds in several applications. A PbSe nanocrystal film used in NIR detectors is fabricated using a magnetron sputtering process. The PbSe NIR detectors can be fabricated at a low cost and can operate at ambient temperatures. In this study, the surface morphology and chemical and crystal states of PbSe and its NIR detection performance are investigated and compared with existing reports in the literature. The PbSe film grown by sputtering exhibits nano- and columnar crystal structures, predominantly halite-like (100) face-centered cubic structures. The PbSe film contains PbO and SeO2 and exhibits dual-absorption band-to-band transitions at 0.43 and 0.52 eV. The sputtered PbSe film is used to fabricate an NIR photodetector with a metal-semiconductor-metal structure. The detector shows fast rise and decay times of 0.14 and 0.12 s, respectively, and responsivity of approximately 0.01 A/W under infrared illumination. Based on this study, a low-cost PbSe NIR detector that can operate at room temperature is developed for early fire detection.