Optical-Beam-Induced Current in InAs/InP Nanowires for Hot-Carrier Photovoltaics
Fast, Jonatan LU ; Liu, Yen Po LU ; Chen, Yang LU ; Samuelson, Lars LU ; Burke, Adam M. LU
; Linke, Heiner
LU
and Mikkelsen, Anders
LU
(2022)
In ACS Applied Energy Materials
5(6).
p.7728-7734
- Abstract
Using the excess energy of charge carriers excited above the band edge (hot carriers) could pave the way for optoelectronic devices, such as photovoltaics exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit or ultrafast photodetectors. Semiconducting nanowires show promise as a platform for hot-carrier extraction. Proof of principle photovoltaic devices have already been realized based on InAs nanowires, using epitaxially defined InP segments as energy filters that selectively transmit hot electrons. However, it is not yet fully understood how charge-carrier separation, relaxation, and recombination depend on device design and on the location of optical excitation. Here, we introduce the use of an optical-beam-induced current (OBIC) characterization... (More)
Using the excess energy of charge carriers excited above the band edge (hot carriers) could pave the way for optoelectronic devices, such as photovoltaics exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit or ultrafast photodetectors. Semiconducting nanowires show promise as a platform for hot-carrier extraction. Proof of principle photovoltaic devices have already been realized based on InAs nanowires, using epitaxially defined InP segments as energy filters that selectively transmit hot electrons. However, it is not yet fully understood how charge-carrier separation, relaxation, and recombination depend on device design and on the location of optical excitation. Here, we introduce the use of an optical-beam-induced current (OBIC) characterization method, employing a laser beam focused close to the diffraction limit and a high precision piezo stage, to study the optoelectric performance of the nanowire device as a function of the position of excitation. The photocurrent response agrees well with modeling based on hot-electron extraction across the InP segment via diffusion. We demonstrate that the device is capable of producing power and estimate the spatial region within which significant hot-electron extraction can take place to be on the order of 300 nm away from the barrier. When comparing to other experiments on similar nanowires, we find good qualitative agreement, confirming the interpretation of the device function, while the extracted diffusion length of hot electrons varies. Careful control of the excitation and device parameters will be important to reach the potentially high device performance theoretically available in these systems.
(Less)
- author
- Fast, Jonatan
LU
; Liu, Yen Po
LU
; Chen, Yang
LU
; Samuelson, Lars
LU
; Burke, Adam M.
LU
; Linke, Heiner
LU
and Mikkelsen, Anders
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-06-27
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- hot carrier, InAs, InP, nanowires, optical-beam-induced current, photovoltaic, scanning photocurrent microscopy
- in
- ACS Applied Energy Materials
- volume
- 5
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 7 pages
- publisher
- The American Chemical Society (ACS)
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:35783345
- scopus:85132009955
- ISSN
- 2574-0962
- DOI
- 10.1021/acsaem.2c01208
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3ed60e22-d8fa-4ec9-a359-2dc698c9b42b
- date added to LUP
- 2022-09-22 15:49:56
- date last changed
- 2025-06-28 08:10:10
@article{3ed60e22-d8fa-4ec9-a359-2dc698c9b42b,
abstract = {{<p>Using the excess energy of charge carriers excited above the band edge (hot carriers) could pave the way for optoelectronic devices, such as photovoltaics exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit or ultrafast photodetectors. Semiconducting nanowires show promise as a platform for hot-carrier extraction. Proof of principle photovoltaic devices have already been realized based on InAs nanowires, using epitaxially defined InP segments as energy filters that selectively transmit hot electrons. However, it is not yet fully understood how charge-carrier separation, relaxation, and recombination depend on device design and on the location of optical excitation. Here, we introduce the use of an optical-beam-induced current (OBIC) characterization method, employing a laser beam focused close to the diffraction limit and a high precision piezo stage, to study the optoelectric performance of the nanowire device as a function of the position of excitation. The photocurrent response agrees well with modeling based on hot-electron extraction across the InP segment via diffusion. We demonstrate that the device is capable of producing power and estimate the spatial region within which significant hot-electron extraction can take place to be on the order of 300 nm away from the barrier. When comparing to other experiments on similar nanowires, we find good qualitative agreement, confirming the interpretation of the device function, while the extracted diffusion length of hot electrons varies. Careful control of the excitation and device parameters will be important to reach the potentially high device performance theoretically available in these systems.</p>}},
author = {{Fast, Jonatan and Liu, Yen Po and Chen, Yang and Samuelson, Lars and Burke, Adam M. and Linke, Heiner and Mikkelsen, Anders}},
issn = {{2574-0962}},
keywords = {{hot carrier; InAs; InP; nanowires; optical-beam-induced current; photovoltaic; scanning photocurrent microscopy}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{06}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{7728--7734}},
publisher = {{The American Chemical Society (ACS)}},
series = {{ACS Applied Energy Materials}},
title = {{Optical-Beam-Induced Current in InAs/InP Nanowires for Hot-Carrier Photovoltaics}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.2c01208}},
doi = {{10.1021/acsaem.2c01208}},
volume = {{5}},
year = {{2022}},
}