A self-powered phosphorene photodetector with excellent spin-filtering and spin-valve effects

Spin-filtering and spin-valve effects are fundamental issues of spintronics in two-dimensional materials, where a self-powered nanotechnology is also highly desired for low-power consumption. Herein, we report a self-powered nickel-phosphorene-nickel photodetector driven by photogalvanic effects (PGEs), based on quantum transport simulations. Persistent photocurrent is generated at zero bias due to PGEs induced by vertical illumination with linearly and elliptically polarized light. Moreover, fully spin-polarized photocurrent and large magnetoresistance can be obtained by tunneling the photon energy and light polarization, which indicates both excellent spin-filtering and spin-valve effects. These results suggest a promising application of PGE-driven phosphorene photodetectors in low energy-consumption spintronic devices.