Large, Room Temperature Photocurrents in WSM TaAs

ORAL

Abstract

Numerous predictions exist for novel photocurrent generation related to the novel topology of inversion breaking Weyl semi-metals. We present here the first observation of room temperature, polarization controlled, photocurrents in mesoscale TaAs devices. From their qualitatively different polarization and frequency dependencies we are able to disentangle these from more mundane thermal effects. The magnitude of the photocurrents is consistent with reports of an intrinsically large second order optical response in TaAs, due to the unique band topology. Furthermore, these results suggest TaAs could be a promising material for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.

–

Presenters

  • Gavin Osterhoudt

    Boston Coll, Physics, Boston College

Authors

  • Gavin Osterhoudt

    Boston Coll, Physics, Boston College

  • Laura Katharina-Diebel

    Physics, University of Regensburg

  • Ryan Conrad

    Boston Coll

  • Kai Kharpertian

    Boston Coll

  • Bing Shen

    Physics, University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Physics and Astronomy and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, Physics and Astronomy, Univ of California - Los Angeles

  • Ni Ni

    University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Physics and Astronomy and California Nano Systems Institute, Univ of California - Los Angeles, University of California, Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Physics and Astronomy and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Philip Moll

    Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Max Planck Inst

  • Kenneth Burch

    Boston Coll, Department of Physics, Boston Coll, Physics, Boston College