A material for photo-electric conversion has a multi-layered diamond-like film including an upper layer possessing electrical conductivity of one type and a lower layer possessing electrical conductivity of another different type, and a photo-electric converter is provided with this material and converts light into electric current.

The present invention provides novel two-dimensional van der Waals materials and stacks of those materials. Also provided are methods of making and using such materials.

A device and a method of forming a device. The method comprises forming an oxide material film; forming two metal electrodes on the oxide material film, the two metal electrodes laterally spaced from each other such that an electric path between the two electrodes comprises at least a portion of the oxide material film; configuring the oxide material film such that a current-voltage characteristic of the device as measured via the two metal electrodes exhibits nonlinearity and rectification.

A mid-infrared tunable metamaterial comprises an array of resonators on a semiconductor substrate having a large dependence of dielectric function on carrier concentration and a semiconductor plasma resonance that lies below the operating range, such as indium antimonide. Voltage biasing of the substrate generates a resonance shift in the metamaterial response that is tunable over a broad operating range. The mid-infrared tunable metamaterials have the potential to become the building blocks of chip based active optical devices in mid-infrared ranges, which can be used for many applications, such as thermal imaging, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring.

A method for passivating the surface of crystalline iron disulfide (FeS.sub.2) by encapsulating it in crystalline zinc sulfide (ZnS). Also disclosed is the related product comprising FeS.sub.2 encapsulated by ZnS in which the sulfur atoms at the FeS.sub.2 surfaces are passivated. Additionally disclosed is a photovoltaic (PV) device incorporating FeS.sub.2 encapsulated by ZnS.

Methods are described that include reacting a starting nanocrystal that includes a starting nanocrystal core and a covalently bound surface species to create an ion-exchangeable (IE) nanocrystal that includes a surface charge and a first ion-exchangeable (IE) surface ligand ionically bound to the surface charge, where the starting nanocrystal core includes a group IV element.

Optically sensitive devices include a device comprising a first contact and a second contact, each having a work function, and an optically sensitive material between the first contact and the second contact. The optically sensitive material comprises a p-type semiconductor, and the optically sensitive material has a work function. Circuitry applies a bias voltage between the first contact and the second contact. The optically sensitive material has an electron lifetime that is greater than the electron transit time from the first contact to the second contact when the bias is applied between the first contact and the second contact. The first contact provides injection of electrons and blocking the extraction of holes. The interface between the first contact and the optically sensitive material provides a surface recombination velocity less than 1 cm/s.

A photo-sensing unit including a first electrode, a first insulation layer, a photo-sensing structure and a second electrode is provided. The first insulation layer covers the first electrode and has an opening exposing the first electrode. The photo-sensing structure is located on the first electrode and disposed in the opening of the first insulation layer. The photo-sensing structure includes a first photo-sensing layer and a second photo-sensing layer stacked with each other. A material of the first photo-sensing layer is Si.sub.xGe.sub.yO.sub.z. A material of the second photo-sensing layer is Si.sub.vO.sub.w. The second electrode covers the photo-sensing structure. A photo-sensing apparatus including the photo-sensing unit and a fabricating method of a photo-sensing unit are also provided.

This invention relates to cells and devices for harvesting light. Specifically the cell comprises at least one electrode which comprises graphene or modified graphene and layer of a transition metal dichalcogenide in a vertical heterostructure. The cell may be part of a light harvesting device. The invention also relates to materials and methods for making such cells and devices.

Photovoltaic devices such as solar cells, hybrid solar cell-batteries, and other such devices may include an active layer disposed between two electrodes. The active layer may have perovskite material and other material such as mesoporous material, interfacial layers, thin-coat interfacial layers, and combinations thereof. The perovskite material may be photoactive. The perovskite material may be disposed between two or more other materials in the photovoltaic device. Inclusion of these materials in various arrangements within an active layer of a photovoltaic device may improve device performance. Other materials may be included to further improve device performance, such as, for example: additional perovskites, and additional interfacial layers.