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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Recombination Dynamics in Thin-film Photovoltaic Materials via Time-resolved Microwave Conductivity
Published on: March 6, 2017
Mesoscopic Free Path of Nonthermalized Photogenerated Carriers in a Ferroelectric Insulator
Zongquan Gu1, Dominic Imbrenda1, Andrew L Bennett-Jackson2
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Abstract:
We show how finite-size scaling of a bulk photovoltaic effect-generated electric field in epitaxial ferroelectric insulating BaTiO_{3}(001) films and a photo-Hall response involving the bulk photovoltaic current reveal a large room-temperature mean free path of photogenerated nonthermalized electrons. Experimental determination of mesoscopic ballistic optically generated carrier transport opens a new paradigm for hot electron-based solar energy conversion, and for facile control of ballistic transport distinct from existing low-dimensional semiconductor interfaces, surfaces, layers, or other structures.
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