Review of recent progress, challenges, and prospects of 2D materials-based short wavelength infrared photodetectors

The interest in 2D layered materials based short wavelength infrared (SWIR) photodetectors (PDs) has escalated over the years with the introduction of new 2D materials showing intriguing photoresponse characteristics in the IR region. Two-dimensional materials with their mechanical flexibility, bandgap tunability, ease in exfoliation and thickness dependent optical properties have shown potential to surpass the performance of conventional, cryogenically operated semiconducting PDs. To date, a significant number of PDs have been reported using layered materials in various configurations, which have attracted the interest of research community towards scalable 2D-PDs. This review article aims to address current state-of-art SWIR PDs based on layered materials and the underlying physics. The article gives an insight into the various photodetection schemes and important figures of merit for the evaluation of PDs. The 2D materials frequently employed for designing SWIR PDs and their important characteristics are discussed in detail, with special emphasis on their photodetection range. Further, a comprehensive review of the 2D SWIR PDs based on different device structures is included, followed by a discussion on the major challenges currently prevalent in 2D SWIR PDs. Finally, the promising future prospects of 2D SWIR PDs and their important applications are described.