Researchers Create a Perovskite Diode That Can Transmit or Receive Optical Signals on Demand

Researchers from Linköping University, Shenzhen University, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Northwestern Polytechnical University have created a device which can act as both a transmitter and a receiver for optical signals — a major breakthrough in the path to optoelectronic miniaturization.

"In order to demonstrate the potential of our diode with double function," researcher Chunxiong Bao explains, "we have built a monolithic sensor that detects heart beats in real time, and an optical, bidirectional communication system." That communication system allows messages typed on one computer to be viewed on another — and vice-versa.

Traditionally, an optical communication system would require two components at each end: One transmitter to create the signal, and one receiver to read the return signal. The diode created for the Linköping-led project, though, can do both on demand — switching between roles whenever it's required, and quickly enough for real-time communications.

"We have managed to integrate optical signal transmission and reception into one circuit," adds Professor Feng Gao, "something that makes it possible to transmit optical signals in both directions between two identical circuits. This is valuable in the field of miniaturised and integrated optoelectronics."

The diode is based on earlier work Bao and colleagues carried out on perovskite-based photodetectors - a semiconductor material made from metal and halogen — combined with a perovskite light-emitting diode (LED) developed by Weidong Xu. Using the same perovskite material, the researchers were able to create a single device which can act as both photodetector and light-emitting diode — and without the silicon or indium gallium arsenide of current systems.

The team's work has been published in the journal Nature under closed-access terms.