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Showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber

Zinc phosphide, Zn(3)P(2), is a semiconductor with a high absorption coefficient in the spectral range relevant for single junction photovoltaic applications. It is made of elements abundant in the Earth's crust, opening up a pathway for large deployment of solar cell alternatives to the silico...

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Autores principales: Stutz, Elias Z., Zamani, Mahdi, Damry, Djamshid A., Buswell, Léa, Paul, Rajrupa, Escobar Steinvall, Simon, Leran, Jean-Baptiste, Boland, Jessica L., Dimitrievska, Mirjana, Fontcuberta i Morral, Anna
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: RSC 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8784961/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35178521
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1ma00922b
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author Stutz, Elias Z.
Zamani, Mahdi
Damry, Djamshid A.
Buswell, Léa
Paul, Rajrupa
Escobar Steinvall, Simon
Leran, Jean-Baptiste
Boland, Jessica L.
Dimitrievska, Mirjana
Fontcuberta i Morral, Anna
author_facet Stutz, Elias Z.
Zamani, Mahdi
Damry, Djamshid A.
Buswell, Léa
Paul, Rajrupa
Escobar Steinvall, Simon
Leran, Jean-Baptiste
Boland, Jessica L.
Dimitrievska, Mirjana
Fontcuberta i Morral, Anna
author_sort Stutz, Elias Z.
collection PubMed
description Zinc phosphide, Zn(3)P(2), is a semiconductor with a high absorption coefficient in the spectral range relevant for single junction photovoltaic applications. It is made of elements abundant in the Earth's crust, opening up a pathway for large deployment of solar cell alternatives to the silicon market. Here we provide a thorough study of the optical properties of single crystalline Zn(3)P(2) thin films grown on (100) InP by molecular beam epitaxy. The films are slightly phosphorus-rich as determined by Rutherford backscattering. We elucidate two main radiative recombination pathways: one transition at approximately 1.52 eV attributed to zone-center band-to-band electronic transitions; and a lower-energy transition observed at 1.3 eV to 1.4 eV attributed to a defect band or band tail related recombination mechanisms. We believe phosphorus interstitials are likely at the origin of this band.
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spelling pubmed-87849612022-02-15 Showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber Stutz, Elias Z. Zamani, Mahdi Damry, Djamshid A. Buswell, Léa Paul, Rajrupa Escobar Steinvall, Simon Leran, Jean-Baptiste Boland, Jessica L. Dimitrievska, Mirjana Fontcuberta i Morral, Anna Mater Adv Chemistry Zinc phosphide, Zn(3)P(2), is a semiconductor with a high absorption coefficient in the spectral range relevant for single junction photovoltaic applications. It is made of elements abundant in the Earth's crust, opening up a pathway for large deployment of solar cell alternatives to the silicon market. Here we provide a thorough study of the optical properties of single crystalline Zn(3)P(2) thin films grown on (100) InP by molecular beam epitaxy. The films are slightly phosphorus-rich as determined by Rutherford backscattering. We elucidate two main radiative recombination pathways: one transition at approximately 1.52 eV attributed to zone-center band-to-band electronic transitions; and a lower-energy transition observed at 1.3 eV to 1.4 eV attributed to a defect band or band tail related recombination mechanisms. We believe phosphorus interstitials are likely at the origin of this band. RSC 2021-12-17 /pmc/articles/PMC8784961/ /pubmed/35178521 http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1ma00922b Text en This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
spellingShingle Chemistry
Stutz, Elias Z.
Zamani, Mahdi
Damry, Djamshid A.
Buswell, Léa
Paul, Rajrupa
Escobar Steinvall, Simon
Leran, Jean-Baptiste
Boland, Jessica L.
Dimitrievska, Mirjana
Fontcuberta i Morral, Anna
Showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber
title Showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber
title_full Showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber
title_fullStr Showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber
title_full_unstemmed Showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber
title_short Showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber
title_sort showcasing the optical properties of monocrystalline zinc phosphide thin films as an earth-abundant photovoltaic absorber
topic Chemistry
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8784961/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35178521
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1ma00922b
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