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

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Yang Zhang - , Chair of Solid State Theory, Clusters of Excellence ct.qmat: Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (Author)
  • Tobias Holder - , Weizmann Institute of Science (Author)
  • Hiroaki Ishizuka - , The University of Tokyo (Author)
  • Fernando de Juan - , Donostia International Physics Center, Ikerbasque Basque Foundation for Science (Author)
  • Naoto Nagaosa - , RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, The University of Tokyo (Author)
  • Claudia Felser - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • Binghai Yan - , Weizmann Institute of Science (Author)

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.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number3783
JournalNature communications
Volume10
Publication statusPublished - 22 Aug 2019
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 31439851