Multidimensional Sensing in Flexible Violet Phosphorus Photodetectors Driven by the Bulk Photovoltaic Effect

ABSTRACT

The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) generates zero bias photocurrents in systems with broken inversion symmetry, offering a junction free pathway for self‐powered optoelectronic devices and conceptually overcoming the Shockley‐Queisser efficiency limit of conventional junction based devices. However, achieving high performance self‐powered photodetection across a broadband spectrum remains challenging, and low dimensional quantum materials that enable efficient multi‐mechanism photoconversion with superior optoelectronic properties remain scarce. Here, we devise a flexible, bio‐inspired device architecture on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates that synergistically leverages the intrinsic properties of few‐layer violet phosphorus (VP)—a material with localized inversion symmetry breaking—to enable broadband multidimensional sensing, thereby surpassing the limitations of conventional junction‐based devices. By synergizing the unique low symmetry crystal structure of few‐layer VP with a flexible device architecture, we achieve a substantial zero‐bias photocurrent of 20 µA, a high responsivity of 0.01 A/W, and a polarization ratio (PR) of 5.5 at 650 nm. The polarization imaging system constructed with this detector achieves high contrast imaging and image processing of surface polarization states by capturing multi‐angle polarization images and calculating Stokes parameters. This work establishes a generalizable bionic strategy for engineering high performance, self‐powered polarization selective photodetectors for next generation intelligent imaging, remote sensing, and integrated photonic systems.