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- Title
Surface photogalvanic effect in Ag<sub>2</sub>Te.
- Authors
Xie, Xiaoyi; Leng, Pengliang; Ding, Zhenyu; Yang, Jinshan; Yan, Jingyi; Zhou, Junchen; Li, Zihan; Ai, Linfeng; Cao, Xiangyu; Jia, Zehao; Zhang, Yuda; Zhao, Minhao; Zhu, Wenguang; Gao, Yang; Dong, Shaoming; Xiu, Faxian
- Abstract
The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) in non-centrosymmetric materials has attracted significant attention in recent years due to its potential to surpass the Shockley-Queisser limit. Although these materials are strictly constrained by symmetry, progress has been made in artificially reducing symmetry to stimulate BPVE in wider systems. However, the complexity of these techniques has hindered their practical implementation. In this study, we demonstrate a large intrinsic photocurrent response in centrosymmetric topological insulator Ag2Te, attributed to the surface photogalvanic effect (SPGE), which is induced by symmetry reduction of the surface. Through diverse spatially-resolved measurements on specially designed devices, we directly observe that SPGE in Ag2Te arises from the difference between two opposite photocurrent flows generated from the top and bottom surfaces. Acting as an efficient SPGE material, Ag2Te demonstrates robust performance across a wide spectral range from visible to mid-infrared, making it promising for applications in solar cells and mid-infrared detectors. More importantly, SPGE generated on low-symmetric surfaces can potentially be found in various systems, thereby inspiring a broader range of choices for photovoltaic materials. The bulk photovoltaic effect holds promise for various optoelectronic applications, but it is usually restricted to non-centrosymmetric materials operating in the visible range. Here, the authors report a surface photogalvanic effect spanning from visible to midinfrared wavelengths in a centrosymmetric topological insulator, Ag2Te.
- Subjects
PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY; PHOTOVOLTAIC effect; TOPOLOGICAL insulators; SOLAR cells; SILVER; SEMIMETALS; DETECTORS
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2024, Vol 15, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-024-49576-4