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

Zhang Y, Holder T, Ishizuka H, De Juan F, Nagaosa N, Felser C, Yan B (2019)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2019

Journal

Nature Communications Nature Publishing Group: Nature Communications

Book Volume: 10

Article Number: 3783

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11832-3

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.

Involved external institutions

University of Tokyo JP Japan (JP) Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe (MPI CPfS) / Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids DE Germany (DE) Weizmann Institute of Science IL Israel (IL) Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) ES Spain (ES)

How to cite

APA:

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. Nature Communications, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11832-3

MLA:

Zhang, Yang, et al. "Switchable magnetic bulk photovoltaic effect in the two-dimensional magnet CrI3." Nature Communications 10.1 (2019).

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