Photovoltaic properties of Bi2FeCrO6 epitaxial thin films

Nechache, Riad; Harnagea, Cătălin; Licoccia, Silvia; Traversa, Enrico; Ruediger, A.; Pignolet, A.; Rosei, Federico

doi:10.1063/1.3590270

Cited by 164 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…BFCO is also a ferrimagnetic double perovskite with magnetic moment that depends on the degree of Fe/Cr cation ordering in the films (Ichikawa et al, 2008). Optical to electric PCEs up to 6.5% were initially demonstrated under light wavelength λ of 635 nm in epitaxial BFCO thin films grown by PLD (Nechache et al, 2011). These films showed a high short-circuit current density (J sc ) of 0.99 mA/cm 2 , this magnitude being related to Fe-Cr cationic ordering.…”

Section: Multiferroic Materialsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Physical aspects of ferroelectric semiconductors for photovoltaic solar energy conversion

et al. 2016

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Section: Multiferroic Materialsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Physical aspects of ferroelectric semiconductors for photovoltaic solar energy conversion

et al. 2016

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“…It is worth mentioning that in addition to the PCE, the fill factor (FF) i.e., the maximum power in the current-voltage curve divided by the product of the short-circuit photovoltaic current and the open-circuit photovoltage is an important parameter as it characterizes the quality of the solar cell. Only few papers on photoferroelectrics [13,74] have reported FF data and showed rather weak values of about 10-30% while in classical semiconductors it reaches typically up to 80%. Low FF values are usually attributed to resistive losses via for instance electrodes contact or defects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Photovoltaics with Ferroelectrics: Current Status and Beyond

et al. 2016

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Ferroelectrics carry a switchable spontaneous electric polarization. This polarization is usually coupled to strain, making ferroelectrics good piezoelectrics. When coupled to magnetism, they become so-called multiferroic systems, a field that has been widely investigated since 2003. While ferroelectrics are birefringent and non-linear optically transparent materials, the coupling of polarization with optical properties has received, since 2009, renewed attention, triggered notably by low-bandgap ferroelectrics suitable for sunlight spectrum absorption and original photovoltaic effects. Consequently, power conversion efficiencies up to 8.1% were recently achieved and values of 19.5% were predicted, making photoferroelectrics promising photovoltaic alternatives. This article aims at providing an up-to-date review on this emerging and rapidly progressing field by highlighting several important issues and parameters, such as the role of domain walls, ways to tune the bandgap, consequences arising from the polarization switchability, and the role of defects and contact electrodes, as well as the downscaling effects. Beyond photovoltaicity, other polarization-related processes are also described, like light-induced deformation (photostriction) or light-assisted chemical reaction (photostriction). It is hoped that this overview will encourage further avenues to be explored and challenged and, as a byproduct, will inspire other research communities in material science, e.g., so-called hybrid halide perovskites.

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“…Several studies have attempted to elucidate the various contributions to the photovoltaic response -bulk or otherwise -in ferroelectrics [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. In particular, bismuth ferrite (BFO) has been found to generate significant bulk photocurrents; combined with its unusually low band gap of 2.7 eV, it has attracted a great deal of attention for its potential in photovoltaic applications [21,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. The understanding of the fundamental physics behind the effect has advanced as well; recently we demonstrated that the BPVE can be attributed to "shift currents", and that the bulk photocurrents may be calculated from first-principles.…”

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confidence: 99%

First-Principles Materials Design of High-Performing Bulk Photovoltaics with theLiNbO3Structure

2015

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The bulk photovoltaic effect is a long-known but poorly understood phenomenon. Recently, however, the multiferroic bismuth ferrite has been observed to produce strong photovoltaic response to visible light, suggesting that the effect has been underexploited as well. Here we present three polar oxides in the LiNbO3 structure that we predict to have band gaps in the 1-2 eV range and very high bulk photovoltaic response: PbNiO3, Mg 1/2 Zn 1/2 PbO3, and LiBiO3. All three have band gaps determined by cations with d 10 s 0 electronic configurations, leading to conduction bands composed of cation s-orbitals and O p-orbitals. This both dramatically lowers the band gap and increases the bulk photovoltaic response by as much as an order of magnitude over previous materials, demonstrating the potential for high-performing bulk photovoltaics.Photovoltaic effects have long been observed in bulk polar materials, especially ferroelectrics [1][2][3][4]. Known as the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE), it appeared to derive from inversion symmetry breaking. Despite intense initial interest, early explorations revealed low energy conversion efficiency, in part due to the high band gaps of most known ferroelectrics. Additionally, despite several proposed mechanisms, the physical origin of the BPVE was unclear [2,[5][6][7][8].However, recent emphasis on alternative energy technologies and the observation of the effect in novel semiconducting ferroelectrics (with band-gaps in the visible range) has renewed interest [9][10][11][12][13][14]. Several studies have attempted to elucidate the various contributions to the photovoltaic response -bulk or otherwise -in ferroelectrics [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. In particular, bismuth ferrite (BFO) has been found to generate significant bulk photocurrents; combined with its unusually low band gap of 2.7 eV, it has attracted a great deal of attention for its potential in photovoltaic applications [21,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. The understanding of the fundamental physics behind the effect has advanced as well; recently we demonstrated that the BPVE can be attributed to "shift currents", and that the bulk photocurrents may be calculated from first-principles. The ab initio calculation of the shift current and subsequent analysis yielded several chemical and structural criteria for optimizing the response. These criteria have been used previously to modify or identify existing materials with enhanced response [14,[32][33][34]. In this work, we use these insights to propose several candidate bulk photovoltaics with calculated response as much as an order of magnitude higher than well-known ferroelectrics, while having band gaps in or slightly below the visible spectrum. Our results demonstrate that bulk photovoltaic response can be much stronger than previously observed, supporting the possibility of materials suitable for application.There are two figures of merit for evaluating the BPVE in a material: the current density response to a spatially uniform electric field, and the G...

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Photovoltaic properties of Bi2FeCrO6 epitaxial thin films

Cited by 164 publications

References 25 publications

Physical aspects of ferroelectric semiconductors for photovoltaic solar energy conversion

Physical aspects of ferroelectric semiconductors for photovoltaic solar energy conversion

Photovoltaics with Ferroelectrics: Current Status and Beyond

First-Principles Materials Design of High-Performing Bulk Photovoltaics with theLiNbO3Structure

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