Enhanced Photovoltaic Performances of La-Doped Bismuth Ferrite/Zinc Oxide Heterojunction by Coupling Piezo-Phototronic Effect and Ferroelectricity

Ferroelectric materials have drawn widespread attention due to their switchable spontaneous polarization and anomalous photovoltaic effect. The coupling between ferroelectricity and the piezo-phototronic effect may lead to the design of distinctive photoelectric devices with multifunctional features. Here, we report an enhancement of the photovoltaic performances in the ferroelectric p-type La-doped bismuth ferrite film (BLFO)/n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire array heterojunction by rationally coupling the strain-induced piezoelectricity in ZnO nanowires and the ferroelectricity in BLFO. Under a compressive strain of -2.3% and a 10 V upward poling of the BLFO, the open-circuit voltage (VOC) and short-circuit current density (JSC) of the device increase by 8.4% and 54.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the rise (/decay) time is modulated from 153.7 (/108.8) to 61.28 (/74.86) ms. Systematical band diagram analysis reveals that the promotion of photogenerated carriers and boost of the photovoltaic performances of the device can be attributed to the modulated carrier transport behaviors at the BLFO/ZnO interface and the superposed driving forces arising from the adding up of the piezoelectric potential and ferroelectric polarization. In addition, COMSOL simulation results of piezopotential distribution in ZnO nanowire arrays and the energy band structure change of the heterojunction further confirm the mechanisms. This work not only presents an approach to design high-performance ferroelectric photovoltaic devices but also further broadens the research scope of piezo-phototronics.