Spatially programmable bipolar photoresponse in Wafer-scale Te/GaN heteroarrays enabled by synergistic photovoltaic-photothermoelectric coupling

Conventional photodetectors dominated by a single physical effect are strictly constrained by the Shockley-Queisser limit, accompanied by intrinsic performance saturation, inadequate operational flexibility, and a complete absence of functions and secure functionalities. Here, we present large-area integrable Te/GaN heterostructure array devices fabricated from high-quality Te films via glancing-incidence physical vapor deposition. Benefiting from the intrinsic synergy between photovoltaic and photothermoelectric effects, these devices offer bias-free, position-programmable bipolar photoresponse. Under 365 nm illumination, the Te/GaN devices exhibit competitive figures of merit among similar devices, with positive/negative responsivity up to 308.4 mA/W and 54.5 mA/W, specific detectivity exceeding 1.09×10¹³ Jones and 7.52×10¹² Jones, respectively, at zero bias. By using illumination position and response polarity as dual physical keys, the developed wafer-scale 20×20-pixel Te/GaN heteroarrays successfully implement reconfigurable image processing and encrypted image transmission, demonstrating unprecedented intelligent and physically secure functionalities for next-generation optoelectronic chips. This work overcomes the performance bottlenecks and limited operational degrees of freedom in single-effect devices, and achieves reliable, scalable array applications without external components, establishing a universal paradigm for high-performance, intelligent and secure integrated optoelectronics systems.