Bulk Photovoltaic Effect Along the Nonpolar Axis in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskites

The origin of the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) was considered as a built-in electric field formed by the macroscopic polarization of materials. Alternatively, the shift current mechanism has been gradually accepted as the more appropriate description of the BPVE. This mechanism implies that the photocurrent generated by the BPVE is a topological current featuring an ultrafast response and dissipation-less nature, which is very attractive for photodetector applications. Meanwhile, the origin of the BPVE in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) has not been discussed and is still widely accepted as the classical mechanism without any experimental evidence. Herein, we observed the BPVE along the nonpolar axis in OIHPs, which is inconsistent with the classical explanation. Furthermore, based on the nonlinear optical tensor correlation, we substantiated that the BPVE in OIHPs is originated in the shift current mechanism. So far, the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) has been discussed based on the classical explanation that photocurrent originates from macroscopic polarization. Herein, we report the BPVE along the nonpolar axis in OIHPs. The light polarization dependence is consistent with the shift current mechanism, which possesses effective features, such as ultrafast response and dissipation-less nature.image

Automated summary

Researchers have found that the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) is not explained by the classical mechanism, but rather originates from the shift current mechanism. This discovery has significant implications for photodetector applications.