Stretchable Broadband Plasmonic Photodetector Based on a Hybrid and Composite of Metal Nanoparticles and Organic Semiconductor

The development of stretchable broadband photodetectors for applications in wearable optoelectronics and personal healthcare still has some limitations in obtaining materials, designing device structures, and developing reliable fabrication processes. Here, stretchable broadband plasmonic photodetectors (SBPPDs) by fabricating plasmonic photodetectors on a stress-adaptable modulated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate are proposed. The plasmonic photodetectors are developed via two approaches for the sensing layers: (i) hybrid of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and (ii) nanocomposite of AgNPs embedded into PEDOT:PSS. These sensing layers are directly formed on the substrate to be capable of sustaining tensile strain. The working principle of SBPPDs is based on the injection of hot-carriers generated from surface plasmon decay on AgNPs to PEDOT:PSS under visible (Vis) and near-infrared (NIR) illumination. Both SBPPDs show high responsivity to wavelengths of Vis (565 nm), Vis (660 nm), NIR (880 nm), and NIR (970 nm) as well as reliable electrical performance under applied stretching up to 30%. The proposed SBPPDs are promising for future stretchable wearable optoelectronics.