Nonradiative carrier recombination is of both great applied and fundamental importance.But the correct ab initio approaches to calculate it remains to be inconclusive. Here we used 5 different formalisms to calculate the nonradiative carrier recombinations of two complex defect structures GaP:Zn_Ga-O_P and GaN:Zn_Ga-V_N, and compared the results with experiments.In order to apply different multiphonon assisted electron transition formalisms, we have calculated the electron-phonon coupling constants by ab initio density functional theory for all phonon modes. Compared with different methods, the capture coefficients calculated by the static coupling theory are 4.30*10^-8 and 1.46*10^-7 cm^3/s for GaP:Zn_Ga-O_P and GaN:Zn_Ga-V_N, which are in good agreement with the experiment results, 4*10^-8 and 3.0*10^-7 cm^3/s respectively. We also provided arguments for why the static coupling theory should be used to calculate the nonradiative decays of semiconductors.
Femtosecond carrier recombination in PbI2 is measured using tabletop high-harmonic extreme ultraviolet (XUV) transient absorption spectroscopy and ultrafast electron diffraction. XUV absorption from 45 eV to 62 eV measures transitions from the iodine 4d core level to the conduction band density of states. Photoexcitation at 400 nm creates separate and distinct transient absorption signals for holes and electrons, separated in energy by the 2.4 eV band gap of the semiconductor. The shape of the conduction band and therefore the XUV absorption spectrum is temperature dependent, and nonradiative …
We address nonradiative recombination pathways by leveraging surface passivation and dislocation management in micron-scale arrays of Ge crystals grown on deeply patterned Si substrates. The time decay photoluminescence (PL) at cryogenic temperatures discloses carrier lifetimes approaching 45 ns in band-gap engineered Ge micro-crystals. This investigation provides compelling information about the competitive interplay between the radiative band-edge transitions and the trapping of carriers by dislocations and free surfaces. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the temperature dependence of the…
Defect-assisted recombination is an important limitation on efficiency of optoelectronic devices. However, since nonradiative capture rates decrease exponentially with energy of the transition, the mechanisms by which such recombination can take place in wide-band-gap materials are unclear. Using electronic structure calculations we uncover the crucial role of electronic excited states in nonradiative recombination processes. The impact is elucidated with examples for the group-III nitrides, for which accumulating experimental evidence indicates that defect-assisted recombination limits effici…
We investigate the origin of the fast recombination dynamics of bound and free excitons in GaN nanowire ensembles by temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy using both continuous-wave and pulsed excitation. The exciton recombination in the present GaN nanowires is dominated by a nonradiative channel between 10 and 300 K. Furthermore, bound and free excitons in GaN NWs are strongly coupled even at low temperatures resulting in a common lifetime of these states. By solving the rate equations for a coupled two-level system, we show that one cannot, in practice, distinguish whether th…
We investigate the impact of threading dislocations with an edge component (a or a+c-type) on carrier recombination and diffusion in GaN(0001) layers close to the surface as well as in the bulk. To this end, we utilize cathodoluminescence imaging of the top surface of a GaN(0001) layer with a deeply buried (In,Ga)N quantum well. Varying the acceleration voltage of the primary electrons and comparing the signal from the layer and the quantum well enables us to probe carrier recombination at depths ranging from the close vicinity of the surface to the position of the quantum well. Our experiment…
Nonradiative carrier recombination at semiconductor deep centers is of great importance to both fundamental physics and device engineering. In this letter, we provide a revised analysis of K. Huang's original nonradiative multi-phonon (NMP) theory with ab initio calculations. First, we identify at first-principle level that Huang's concise formula gives the same results as the matrix based formula, and Huang's high temperature formula provides an analytical expression for the coupling constant in Marcus theory. Secondly, the anharmonic effects are corrected by taking into account local phonon …
GaN nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy generally suffer from dominant nonradiative recombination, which is believed to originate from point defects. To suppress the formation of these defects, we explore the synthesis of GaN nanowires at temperatures up to 915 $°C$ enabled by the use of thermally stable TiN$_x$/Al$_2$O$_3$ substrates. These samples exhibit indeed bound exciton decay times approaching those measured for state-of-the-art bulk GaN. However, the decay time is not correlated with the growth temperature, but rather with the nanowire diameter. The inverse dependence of the dec…
Excitons are bound electron-hole pairs that dominate the optical response of semiconductors and insulators, especially in materials where the Coulomb interaction is weakly screened. Light absorption (including excitonic effects) has been studied extensively using first-principles calculations, but methods for computing radiative recombination and light emission are still being developed. Here we show a unified ab initio approach to compute exciton radiative recombination in materials ranging from bulk crystals to nanostructures and molecules. We derive the rate of exciton radiative recombinati…
Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are direct gap semiconductors with unique potential for ultrathin light emitters. Yet, their photoluminescence (PL) is not completely understood. We compute the radiative recombination rate in monolayer TMDCs as a function of photon emission direction and polarization, and obtain polar plots of the PL for different excitation scenarios using the ab initio Bethe-Salpeter equation. We show that excitons in a quantum superposition state of the K and K' inequivalent valleys emit light anisotropically upon recombination. Our results can explain the…
In this work, we provide a detailed analysis of phosphorene performance as n-type and p-type active materials. The study is based on first principles calculation of phosphorene electronic structure, and resulting electron and hole scattering rates and lifetimes. Emphasis is put on extreme regimes commonly found in semiconductor devices, i.e. high electric fields and heavy doping, where impact ionization and Auger recombination can occur. We found that electron-initiated impact ionization is weaker than the hole-initiated process, when compared to carrier-phonon interaction rates, suggesting re…
Unraveling the Roles of Shallow, Deep and Auger Trapping in Charge Carrier Recombination in Triple-Cation Perovskites
Lund University（隆德大学）；Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden（德累斯顿莱布尼兹固体与材料研究所）；Technical University of Dresden（德累斯顿工业大学）；Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee（鲁尔基印度理工学院）；Forschungszentrum Jülich（于利希研究中心）；University of Duisburg-Essen（杜伊斯堡-埃森大学）
The thermodynamic limit of photovoltaic efficiency for a single-junction solar cell can be readily predicted using the bandgap of the active light absorbing material. Such an approach overlooks the energy loss due to non-radiative electron-hole processes. We propose a practical ab initio procedure to determine the maximum efficiency of a thin-film solar cell that takes into account both radiative and non-radiative recombination. The required input includes the frequency-dependent optical absorption coefficient, as well as the capture cross-sections and equilibrium populations of point defects.…
We compare three representative high performance PV materials: halide perovskite MAPbI3, CdTe, and GaAs, in terms of photoluminescence (PL) efficiency, PL lineshape, carrier diffusion, and surface recombination, over multiple orders of photo-excitation density. An analytic model is used to describe the excitation density dependence of PL intensity and extract the internal PL efficiency and multiple pertinent recombination parameters. A PL imaging technique is used to obtain carrier diffusion length without using a PL quencher, thus, free of unintended influence beyond pure diffusion. Our resul…
In order to perform automated calculations of defect and dopant properties in semiconductors and insulators, we developed a software package, Defect and Dopant ab-initio Simulation Package (DASP), which is composed of four modules for calculating: (i) elemental chemical potentials, (ii) defect (dopant) formation energies and transition energy levels, (iii) defect and carrier densities and (iv) carrier dynamics properties of high-density defects. DASP uses the materials genome database for quick determination of competing secondary phases and calculation of the energy above convex hull when cal…
Nanocrystals based on metal-halide perovskites offer a promising material platform for highly efficient lighting. Using transient optical spectroscopy, we study excitation recombination dynamics in manganese-doped CsPb(Cl,Br)3 perovskite nanocrystals. We find an increase in the intrinsic excitonic radiative recombination rate upon doping, which is typically a challenging material property to tailor. Supported by ab initio calculations, we can attribute the enhanced emission rates to increased exciton localization through lattice periodicity breaking from Mn dopants, which increases exciton eff…
Auger recombination in semiconductors is a many-body phenomenon in which recombination of electrons and holes is accompanied by excitation of other charge carriers. Being nonradiative, it is detrimental to light emission. The excess energy of the excited carriers is normally rapidly converted to heat, making Auger processes difficult to probe directly. Here, we employ a technique in which the Auger-excited carriers are detected by their ability to tunnel out of the semiconductor through a thin barrier, generating a current. We employ vertical van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures with monolayer…
Carrier multiplication is a non-radiative recombination mechanism that leads to the generation of two or more electron-hole pairs after absorption of a single photon. By reducing the occurrence of dissipative effects, this process can be exploited to increase solar cell performance. In this work we introduce two different theoretical fully ab-initio tools that can be adopted to study carrier multiplication in nanocrystals. The tools are described in detail and compared. Subsequently we calculate carrier multiplication lifetimes in H- and OH- terminated silicon nanocrystals, pointed out the rol…
Ab initio calculations of $^{229}$Th band-to-band internal conversion rate in $^{229}$ThO$_2$
University of Nevada, Reno（内华达大学里诺分校）；Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室）；University of Manchester（曼彻斯特大学）；University of California Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校）
Magnetic layered ternary chalcogenides hold great promise for future spin-optoelectronic devices in the two dimensional limit. Understanding how the properties of the materials are impacted by magnetic ordering and the spin-orbit interactions is critically needed information for the development of applications. Ultrafast transient reflectance (TR) and photocurrent (PC) spectroscopies are combined with ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the band structure and photoresponse of a layered magnetic semiconductor CrSiTe3 (CST) nanosheet in the paramagnetic (PM, 300…
Why Fe doping kills photoluminescence in CsPbCl$_3$ but not in CsPbBr$_3$: Role of midgap Fe 3$d$ states and electron-phonon coupling
Theoretical Sciences Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research（贾瓦哈拉尔·尼赫鲁高级科学研究中心理论科学部）；Department of Science and Humanities, Audisankara (Deemed to be University)（奥迪桑卡拉大学（视为大学）科学与人文系）；Laboratory for Energy Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne（洛桑联邦理工学院能源材料实验室）；New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research（贾瓦哈拉尔·尼赫鲁高级科学研究中心新化学单元）
