Strong bulk photovoltaic effect in engineered edge-embedded van der Waals structures.

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Nonlinear Optics

Background:

• The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) is a second-order nonlinear optical phenomenon.
• BPVE offers a route to surpass the Shockley-Quiesser limit in solar energy conversion.
• Quantum geometric properties of materials govern BPVE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and investigate an effective platform for BPVE studies.
• To explore BPVE in engineered van der Waals (vdW) nano structures.
• To understand the influence of structure orientation and light polarization on BPVE.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of vdW homo- or hetero-structures with embedded nano edges.
• Investigation of BPVE using photocurrent measurements.
• Analysis of the dependence of photocurrent on edge orientation and light polarization.

Main Results:

• BPVE-induced photocurrents are highly sensitive to the orientation of edge-embedded structures.
• Reversed photocurrent polarity is observed between left and right edge-embedded structures.
• The study visualizes unique optoelectronic effects in vdW nano edges.

Conclusions:

• Engineered vdW nano edges provide an effective platform for BPVE investigations.
• This strategy enables achieving BPVE in designed vdW structures.
• The findings contribute to improving solar energy harvesting efficiency.