Zhou Zhangxinyu, Kang Mengyang, Fang Yueyue, Martyniuk Piotr, Wang Hailu
State Key Laboratory of Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China.
School of Material Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2025 Apr 22;15(9):636. doi: 10.3390/nano15090636.
The avalanche multiplication effect, capable of significantly amplifying weak optical or electrical signals, plays a pivotal role in enhancing the performance of electronic and optoelectronic devices. This effect has been widely employed in devices such as avalanche photodiodes, impact ionization avalanche transit time diode, and impact ionization field-effect transistors, enabling diverse applications in biomedical imaging, 3D LIDAR, high-frequency microwave circuits, and optical fiber communications. However, the evolving demands in these fields require avalanche devices with superior performance, including lower power consumption, reduced avalanche threshold energy, higher efficiency, and improved sensitivity. Over the years, significant efforts have been directed towards exploring novel device architectures and multiplication mechanisms. The emergence of two-dimensional (2D) materials, characterized by their exceptional light-matter interaction, tunable bandgaps, and ease of forming junctions, has opened up new avenues for developing high-performance avalanche devices. This review provides an overview of carrier multiplication mechanisms and key performance metrics for avalanche devices. We discuss several device structures leveraging the avalanche multiplication effect, along with their electrical and optoelectronic properties. Furthermore, we highlight representative applications of avalanche devices in logic circuits, optoelectronic components, and neuromorphic computing systems. By synthesizing the principles and applications of the avalanche multiplication effect, this review aims to offer insightful perspectives on future research directions for 2D material-based avalanche devices.
雪崩倍增效应能够显著放大微弱的光信号或电信号，在提高电子和光电器件的性能方面发挥着关键作用。这种效应已广泛应用于雪崩光电二极管、碰撞电离雪崩渡越时间二极管和碰撞电离场效应晶体管等器件中，使其在生物医学成像、3D激光雷达、高频微波电路和光纤通信等领域有了多样化的应用。然而，这些领域不断变化的需求要求雪崩器件具备更优异的性能，包括更低的功耗、更低的雪崩阈值能量、更高的效率和更高的灵敏度。多年来，人们一直致力于探索新型器件架构和倍增机制。二维（2D）材料具有独特的光与物质相互作用、可调节的带隙以及易于形成结的特点，为开发高性能雪崩器件开辟了新途径。本文综述了雪崩器件的载流子倍增机制和关键性能指标。我们讨论了几种利用雪崩倍增效应的器件结构及其电学和光电特性。此外，我们还重点介绍了雪崩器件在逻辑电路、光电器件和神经形态计算系统中的代表性应用。通过综合雪崩倍增效应的原理和应用，本文旨在为基于二维材料的雪崩器件未来的研究方向提供有见地的观点。
