Research progress on polarization photodetectors based on 2-D transition metal dichalcogenides

Polarization photodetectors enable the detection of light polarization states, thereby enriching the information dimension of photoelectric detection. These devices demonstrate excellent sensitivity and anti-interference capabilities, with good applications in fields such as 1-D target detection, medical imaging, and environmental monitoring. In recent years, optoelectronic devices have gradually developed towards miniaturization and integration, while traditional polarization detection methods show limitations due to their reliance on coupling complex optical systems. Using semiconductor materials with inherent anisotropy as the active medium of the detector, both excellent polarization response and high device integration can be achieved. 2-D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted extensive attention due to their outstanding optoelectronic and mechanical properties. Some TMD materials show pronounced anisotropy, making them applicable to high-performance polarization photodetectors. Additionally, TMDs materials can form van der Waals heterostructures, offering more possibilities for the realization of novel heterostructure optoelectronic devices. This study reviews recent research progress and development trends of polarization photodetectors using TMDs such as ReS₂, ReSe₂ and WSe₂. It is demonstrated that the performance of polarization photodetectors can be effectively enhanced through the optimization of van der Waals heterostructures and device structure design, thereby enabling their wider applications. Current challenges and opportunities of polarization photodetectors based on 2-D TMDs are summarized, and prospects for their future development are proposed.