The Co-electrode Based on Bifunctional Sb₂S₃ Film: Achieving Internal Integration of Microsupercapacitor-Powered Photodetectors

With the rapid development of electronics and artificial intelligence, photodetectors tend to be light and miniature, with the conventional external power sources being replaced by portable energy devices, such as microsupercapacitors (MSC). However, the independent fabrication and extra connection system of different function units lead to power consumption and manufacturing challenges. Therefore, in this study, a self-powered photodetector is fabricated based on the “co-electrode” of Sb₂S₃ film. It means that the part of the Sb₂S₃ film is employed as the electrode of microsupercapacitor (MSC) array to store energy, while the other part directly serves as a photodetector with an extremely simple structure without any interlayers. Such a “co-electrode” configuration achieves the seamless integration between the energy-supply and photodetection units. Driven by the MSC array, this integrative photodetector exhibits high voltage responsivities to the sunlight and monochromatic lights within a broad intensity range. This self-powered photodetector could be on-chip integrated with a printed circuit board (PCB) to realize the real-time detection and information display of sunlight, offering an insight into the fabrication of portable devices applied in the field such as weather forecasting in outdoor activities.