Computational Design of α-AsP/γ-AsP Vertical Two-Dimensional Homojunction for Photovoltaic Applications

Based on first-principles calculations, we design a α-AsP/γ-AsP homojunction with minimum lattice distortion. It is found that the α-AsP/γ-AsP homojunction has an indirect bandgap with an intrinsic type-II band alignment. The proposed α-AsP/γ-AsP homojunction exhibits high optical absorption of <...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yuliang Mao, Yuting Du, Zhipeng Huang, Guanhua Zhang, Jianmei Yuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-05-01
Series:Nanomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/10/1662
Description
Summary:Based on first-principles calculations, we design a α-AsP/γ-AsP homojunction with minimum lattice distortion. It is found that the α-AsP/γ-AsP homojunction has an indirect bandgap with an intrinsic type-II band alignment. The proposed α-AsP/γ-AsP homojunction exhibits high optical absorption of <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mn>1.6</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mn>6</mn></msup><msup><mrow><mrow><mo> </mo><mi>cm</mi></mrow></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> along the zigzag direction. A high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.08% is achieved in the designed α-AsP/γ-AsP homojunction, which implies it has potential applications in solar cells. Under 4% in-plane axial strain along the zigzag direction, a transition from indirect band gap to direct band gap is found in the α-AsP/γ-AsP homojunction. Moreover, the intrinsic type-II band alignment can be tuned to type-I band alignment under in-plane strain, which is crucial for its potential application in optical devices.
ISSN:2079-4991