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Power conversion efficiency exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit in a ferroelectric insulator
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Power conversion efficiency exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit in a ferroelectric insulator

Jonathan E. Spanier, Vladimir M. Fridkin, Andrew M. Rappe, Andrew R. Akbashev, Alessia Polemi, Yubo Qi, Zongquan Gu, Steve M. Young, Christopher J. Hawley, Dominic Imbrenda, …
Nature photonics, v 10(9), pp 611-616
01 Sep 2016
url
http://hdl.handle.net/11380/1109601View
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Abstract

Optics Physical Sciences Physics Physics, Applied Science & Technology ESI Highly Cited Paper (Incites)
Ferroelectric absorbers, which promote carrier separation and exhibit above-gap photovoltages, are attractive candidates for constructing efficient solar cells. Using the ferroelectric insulator BaTiO3 we show how photogeneration and the collection of hot, non-equilibrium electrons through the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) yields a greater-than-unity quantum efficiency. Despite absorbing less than a tenth of the solar spectrum, the power conversion efficiency of the BPVE device under 1 sun illumination exceeds the Shockley-Queisser limit for a material of this bandgap. We present data for devices that feature a single-tip electrode contact and an array with 24 tips (total planar area of 1 x 1 mu m(2)) capable of generating a current density of 17 mA cm(-2) under illumination of AM1.5 G. In summary, the BPVE at the nanoscale provides an exciting new route for obtaining high-efficiency photovoltaic solar energy conversion.

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Domestic collaboration
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Web of Science research areas
Optics
Physics, Applied
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