Black phosphorus unipolar transistor, memory, and photodetector

Abstract We report the fabrication, electrical, and optical characterizations of few-layered black phosphorus (BP)-based field-effect transistor (FET). The fabricated device exhibits a p-type transport with hole mobility up to 175 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at V_ds = 1 mV. The transfer characteristics show a large hysteresis width that depends linearly on the gate voltage and decreases with the increasing drain bias. The fabricated device also ensures a non-volatile charge-trap memory behaviour, with a stable and long retention time. The material’s photodetection capabilities enhance the functionality of the device making it controllable by light. The photocurrent was observed to be linearly increasing with the light incident power and exposure time. As a photodetector, the transistor reaches a responsivity and detectivity up to 340 mA W⁻¹ and 6.52 × 10¹¹ Jones under white light at 80 $$\mathrm{mW}$$, respectively. Time-resolved measurements provide evidence of a long single exponential decay process through deep intra-gap states. Our results highlight the potential of a few layers BP as a nanomaterial for field-effect, memory, and optoelectronic devices. Graphical Abstract