An inorganic-blended p-type semiconductor with robust electrical and mechanical properties

Inorganic semiconductors typically have limited p-type behavior due to the scarcity of holes and the localized valence band maximum, hindering the progress of complementary devices and circuits. In this work, we propose an inorganic blending strategy to activate the hole-transporting character in an inorganic semiconductor compound, namely tellurium-selenium-oxygen (TeSeO). By rationally combining intrinsic p-type semimetal, semiconductor, and wide-bandgap semiconductor into a single compound, the TeSeO system displays tunable bandgaps ranging from 0.7 to 2.2 eV. Wafer-scale ultrathin TeSeO films, which can be deposited at room temperature, display high hole field-effect mobility of 48.5 cm²/(Vs) and robust hole transport properties, facilitated by Te-Te (Se) portions and O-Te-O portions, respectively. The nanosphere lithography process is employed to create nanopatterned honeycomb TeSeO broadband photodetectors, demonstrating a high responsibility of 603 A/W, an ultrafast response of 5 μs, and superior mechanical flexibility. The p-type TeSeO system is highly adaptable, scalable, and reliable, which can address emerging technological needs that current semiconductor solutions may not fulfill. © The Author(s) 2024.