Photovoltaics with piezoelectric core-shell nanowires

• We report on the discovery of a generic piezoelectric field in strained core-shell compound semiconductor nanowires. We present the lattice-mismatch induced strain in epitaxial core-shell nanowires and show that it gives, very generally, rise to an internal piezoelectric field along the axis of the nanowire. This field results predominantly from atomic displacements in polar bonds and microscopic polarizations along the nanowire axis within both the core and shell materials. The mechanism and internal piezoelectric field is particularly strong in < 111 > orientated zinc blende and [0001] orientated wurtzite crystalline core-shell nanowires. The effect can be employed to generate the potovoltaic effect in core-shell nanowires free of doping and thus offers a new device concept for solar cells and photodetectors.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Nanowires

strain

piezoelectric

photovoltaic

Publikations- och innehållstyp

kon (ämneskategori)

ref (ämneskategori)