High performance of hot-carrier generation, transport and injection in TiN/TiO2 junction

Improving the performance of generation, transport and injection of hot carriers within metal/semiconductor junctions is critical for promoting the hot-carrier applications. However, the conversion efficiency of hot carriers in the commonly used noble metals (e.g., Au) is extremely low. Herein, through a systematic study by first-principles calculation and Monte Carlo simulation, we show that TiN might be a promising plasmonic material for high-efficiency hot-carrier applications. Compared with Au, TiN shows obvious advantages in the generation (high density of low-energy hot electrons) and transport (long lifetime and mean free path) of hot carriers. We further performed a device-oriented study, which reveals that high hot-carrier injection efficiency can be achieved in core/shell cylindrical TiN/TiO2 junctions. Our findings provide a deep insight into the intrinsic processes of hot-carrier generation, transport and injection, which is helpful for the development of hot-carrier devices and applications.

Automated summary

Through first-principles calculation and Monte Carlo simulation, this study suggests that TiN could be a promising plasmonic material for high-efficiency hot-carrier applications, showing advantages over Au in hot-carrier generation and transport, especially high hot-carrier injection efficiency in core/shell structures.