Tailoring Bulk Photovoltaic Effects in Magnetic Sliding Ferroelectric Materials

TL;DR

This study explores how magnetic order and stacking-induced dipoles in two-dimensional magnetic sliding ferroelectric materials can be used to tailor the bulk photovoltaic effect, opening avenues for advanced optoelectronic devices.

Contribution

It demonstrates the tunability of the bulk photovoltaic effect in magnetic 2D ferroelectric systems through symmetry and magnetic order manipulation, supported by first-principles calculations.

Findings

Photoinduced photovoltaic current can be tuned by magnetic order.

Stacking mismatch creates a finite out-of-plane electric dipole.

Quantum metric dipole distribution explains the mechanism.

Abstract

The bulk photovoltaic effect that is intimately associated with crystalline symmetry has been extensively studied in various nonmagnetic materials, especially ferroelectrics with a switchable electric polarization. In order to further engineer the symmetry, one could resort to spin-polarized systems possessing an extra magnetic degree of freedom. Here, we investigate the bulk photovoltaic effect in two-dimensional magnetic sliding ferroelectric (MSFE) systems, illustrated in VSe2, FeCl2, and CrI3 bilayers. The transition metal elements in these systems exhibit intrinsic spin polarization, and the stacking mismatch between the two layers produce a finite out-of-plane electric dipole. Through symmetry analyses and first-principles calculations, we show that photoinduced in-plane bulk photovoltaic current can be effectively tuned by their magnetic order and the out-of-plane dipole moment. The underlying mechanism is elucidated from the quantum metric dipole distribution in the reciprocal space. The ease of the fabrication and manipulation of MSFEs guarantee practical optoelectronic applications.