Defect-Assisted Recombination in Semiconductors and Photovoltaic Device Parameters from First Principles

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Main Authors: Kangsabanik, Jiban, Thygesen, Kristian S.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Kangsabanik, Jiban
Thygesen, Kristian S.
author_facet Kangsabanik, Jiban
Thygesen, Kristian S.
contents We introduce a method to calculate defect-assisted Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) recombination rates in imperfect semiconductors from first principles. The method accounts for the steady state recombination dynamics under given non-equilibrium conditions (split quasi Fermi levels), by invoking a full solution to the rate equations describing transitions across the band gap via all possible charge states of the defect. Transition rates due to radiative and non-radiative multi-phonon emission processes are calculated from first principles. The method is used to evaluate the effect of selected defects on the photovoltaic device parameters of seven emergent photovoltaic semiconductors. These examples clearly highlight the limitations of commonly employed approximations to the recombination dynamics. Our work advances the description and understanding of defect-induced losses in photovoltaics and provides a basis for developing the important concept of defect tolerant semiconductors and to discover high-performance photovoltaic materials computationally.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_18011
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Defect-Assisted Recombination in Semiconductors and Photovoltaic Device Parameters from First Principles
Kangsabanik, Jiban
Thygesen, Kristian S.
Materials Science
We introduce a method to calculate defect-assisted Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) recombination rates in imperfect semiconductors from first principles. The method accounts for the steady state recombination dynamics under given non-equilibrium conditions (split quasi Fermi levels), by invoking a full solution to the rate equations describing transitions across the band gap via all possible charge states of the defect. Transition rates due to radiative and non-radiative multi-phonon emission processes are calculated from first principles. The method is used to evaluate the effect of selected defects on the photovoltaic device parameters of seven emergent photovoltaic semiconductors. These examples clearly highlight the limitations of commonly employed approximations to the recombination dynamics. Our work advances the description and understanding of defect-induced losses in photovoltaics and provides a basis for developing the important concept of defect tolerant semiconductors and to discover high-performance photovoltaic materials computationally.
title Defect-Assisted Recombination in Semiconductors and Photovoltaic Device Parameters from First Principles
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.18011