Magnetic field modulation effect on photoelectric effect and its explanation in BiFe0.9Ni0.1O3/n-Si multiferroic heterojunction

This paper reports a heterojunction laminate consisting of Ni doped BiFeO3 thin film and n-type single crystal silicon semiconductor, in which the repeatable modulation effect on the photoelectric properties were achieved by applying external magnetic fields. More obviously, the response of photocurrent and photovoltage to the magnetic field is perfectly linear. This functional effect of sensing is mainly related to the guidance of the magnetic field to the photogenerated carrier transfer process in the heterojunction. The linear relationships between magnetic field and photocurrent, magnetic field and photovoltage have been proved through the derivation of the formulas. The heterojunction perfectly combines the functions of the sensor and the controller to reflect both the intensity of the magnetic field and the intensity of the light in the environment. This work provides an alternative and facile way to realize the multi-degree of freedom control for electrical signal and practicability of multifunctional devices.