Bendable Self‐Powered Silicon‐Based Photodetector With Broad Linear‐Dynamic‐Range for Visible Light Positioning and Communication

ABSTRACT

Bendable photodetectors are key to enabling integrated wireless light communication systems for next‐generation Internet of Things applications. However, existing photodetectors still struggle to simultaneously achieve self‐supporting bendable capability and high photodetection performance without an external bias driver. In this work, a bendable self‐powered photodetector is achieved by conformally depositing CuO thin film on a self‐supporting pyramid‐shaped Si film. The optimized device at zero bias exhibits the apparent linear dynamic range of 178.8 dB and the rise /decay time of 0.69/0.92 µs. The photodetector exhibits competitive performance among the reported Si‐based bendable photodetectors is mainly ascribed to a combination of an ultrathin SiO ₂ passivation interlayer and rapid thermal processing, which effectively suppresses both Si surface and CuO bulk defects. Leveraging the structural shading of the bent photodetectors, a simple and feasible visible light positioning platform is constructed, achieving a root‐mean‐square positioning error of 1.4 cm. Moreover, a visible light communication system with the prepared photodetector supports a data rate of 620 kbps with on‐off keying modulation and successfully recovers multi‐level signals. This work provides an effective device strategy for combining mechanical flexibility with excellent photodetection performance, and demonstrates its practical potential for integrated sensing and communication in future wireless light‐interconnection systems.