Silicon Allotrope With Quasi-Direct Band Gap

In a fundamental discovery, scientists at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, District of Columbia (US), have synthesised an entirely new, solar-friendly form of silicon that could revolutionise solar technologies and other optoelectronic applications.

Due to silicon’s indirect band gap, the diamond-structured semiconductor has previously not been suited for applications such as LEDs or certain PV devices. However, Carnegie’s allotrope of silicon has a quasi-direct band gap that falls within the desired visible range for solar absorption, a first-time feat.