Thermoelectric Effect in Carbon Nanotube Films for THz and IR Ultra-broadband Photodetectors

A carbon nanotube (CNT) films ultra-broadband photodetectors based photothermoelectric effect is investigated, and their excellent performance is attributed to p-n junctions formed by p- and n-type CNT films. The high Seebeck coefficient and low thermal conductivity of CNTs films are two key figures of merit for improving the performance of CNT -based photothermoelectric detectors, which can be achieved by tailoring the thermoelectric properties of the CNT films.