Quantum dots (QDs) have extraordinary strong light absorption and size tunable bandgap. However, QD films are typically limited to ~200-300 nm due to their poor charge mobility. This severely limits the quantum efficiency of QD devices for λ <750 nm (infrared). Herein, we report a record 1 μm thick QD film using intercalated graphene layers as transparent current extractors. This overcomes QD poor mobility, ensuring both effective light absorption and charge extraction towards the near-infrared reaching quantum efficiency (EQE) of 90%.
The short diffusion length (LD<200 nm) of QDs limits their useful thickness to ~200-300 nm1–4 , resulting in poor infrared light absorption. To overcome this limitation, we have built a 1 µm thick QD film with intercalated transparent graphene electrodes that keep high charge collection efficiency. As a result, the 1 µm intercalated devices show a superior EQE reaching 90% at λ ~800 nm without the drop of quantum efficiency at λ ~700 nm observed in most QD devices. The EQE of intercalated devices improves over the entire λ~ 600-1100 nm spectrum as the thickness increases from 100 nm to 1 μm, clearly breaking the restriction that the diffusion length of QDs imposes on the film thickness. This improves absorption and charge collection in the infrared.
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