Switchable magnetic bulk photovoltaic effect in the two-dimensional magnet CrI3

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Date
2019
Volume
10
Issue
1
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Publisher
London : Nature Publishing Group
Abstract

The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) rectifies light into the dc current in a single-phase material and attracts the interest to design high-efficiency solar cells beyond the pn junction paradigm. Because it is a hot electron effect, the BPVE surpasses the thermodynamic Shockley–Queisser limit to generate above-band-gap photovoltage. While the guiding principle for BPVE materials is to break the crystal centrosymmetry, here we propose a magnetic photogalvanic effect (MPGE) that introduces the magnetism as a key ingredient and induces a giant BPVE. The MPGE emerges from the magnetism-induced asymmetry of the carrier velocity in the band structure. We demonstrate the MPGE in a layered magnetic insulator CrI3, with much larger photoconductivity than any previously reported results. The photocurrent can be reversed and switched by controllable magnetic transitions. Our work paves a pathway to search for magnetic photovoltaic materials and to design switchable devices combining magnetic, electronic, and optical functionalities.

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Keywords
chromium derivative, chromium triioide, unclassified drug, asymmetry, design, electrical conductivity, energy efficiency, fuel cell, photovoltaic system, thermodynamics, Article, bulk photovoltaic effect, electron, energy conversion, human, magnetic field, magnetism, magnetotherapy, photodynamics, polarization, refraction index, relaxation time
Citation
Zhang, Y., Holder, T., Ishizuka, H., de Juan, F., Nagaosa, N., Felser, C., & Yan, B. (2019). Switchable magnetic bulk photovoltaic effect in the two-dimensional magnet CrI3. 10(1). https://doi.org//10.1038/s41467-019-11832-3
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CC BY 4.0 Unported