Overcoming the electronic bandgap in crystalline silicon

Synopsis

Crystalline silicon is widely used in electronics and optoelectronics for its superior physical properties and ease of fabrication. The large electronic bandgap of crystalline silicon prohibits the use of crystalline silicon in devices requiring infrared sensitivity. In this paper, crystalline silicon and colloidal quantum dots are electrically interfaced in order to harness the longer wavelength absorption of colloidal quantum dots to extend the operating range of crystalline silicon technology. The challenge is to match the energy levels of the two materials and have charge flowing between them. Characterization of the actual performance is done and compared with theory to evaluate the process conditions under which the junction between crystalline silicon and colloidal quantum dots is formed.

Citation
Masala, S., Adinolfi, V., Sun, J.-P., Gobbo, S. D., Voznyy, O., Kramer, I. J., Hill, I. G. and Sargent, E. H. (2015), The Silicon:Colloidal Quantum Dot Heterojunction. Adv. Mater., 27: 7445–7450. doi:10.1002/adma.201503212