In this work, a Silicon Optical Gate Vertical Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor (SOGV-TFET) photodetector is investigated for high-performance near-infrared (NIR) sensing in the wavelength range of 750–1050 nm. The incorporation of a vertical optical gate enables efficient photon absorption and effective modulation of the tunneling barrier, thereby enhancing band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) probability at the source–channel interface. The device achieves a steep subthreshold swing (SSavg) of ~48 mV/dec, a high ON-current of \(1.2 \times 10^{-5}\) A/µm, and an ultra-low dark current of \(2.3 \times 10^{-16}\) A/µm, collectively contributing to improved photosensitivity. At \(\lambda \) = 750 nm and an optical intensity of 0.8 W/ \(cm^{2}\) , the SOGV-TFET demonstrates a responsivity (R) of \(6.49 \times 10^4 A/W\) , an external quantum efficiency \((\eta )\) of \(1.1\times 10^5 \%\) , and a spectral sensitivity (S \(_n\) ) of 55.1, with a maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 105 dB. Furthermore, trap-assisted analysis reveals that device performance is strongly influenced by trap nature, acceptor-type traps suppress dark current and enhance sensitivity and SNR in the subthreshold regime, while donor-type traps elevate dark leakage and degrade noise performance. These findings prove that the proposed SOGV-TFET combines low-power operation with strong spectral selectivity making it a strong contender for optical communication, biomedical imaging and integrated optoelectronic systems.
