INTERMEDIATE-BAND MATERIAL BASED ON A SEMICONDUCTOR COMPOUND OF TIN CHALCOGENIDE TYPE

摘要

The invention relates to compounds formed by inserting, within a starting semiconductor of octahedrally coordinated tetravalent tin chalcogenide type, a transition element, in an octahedral position, for the fabrication of materials or devices for use in photonics. The transition element generates a partially occupied intermediate band separated from the valence and conduction bands of the starting semiconductor, as results from quantum mechanical calculations. This makes it possible, by absorption of two photons having energy that is less than the bandgap of the starting semiconductor, to obtain a result equivalent to that which is achieved by absorbing a photon having energy greater than said bandgap in the absence of an intermediate band. Use of the material of the invention provides a greater yield and higher performance levels in various photovoltaic, photocatalytic, photoelectrochemical, optoelectronic or photon-conversion devices.