Colloidal quantum dots for mid-IR applications

The use of colloidal material offers an interesting alternative to top down approaches for the realization of low cost infrared detectors. We demonstrate photoconduction in thin films of a colloidal material in the mid-infrared (up to 7 mu m), using HgTe colloidal quantum dots. Thin films of the colloidal quantum dots have a large absorption coefficient (> 10(4) cm(-1)), and the photoconductive response is dramatically improved by encapsulating the nanoparticle into an inorganic matrix of As2S3. Such devices show fast response and large detectivity (>10(10) jones) at temperatures above 200 K. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.