Most of the university courses on photovoltaics, only discuss the standard photovoltaic effect based on p-n junctions. This is understandable considering that the major part of nowadays technologies, converting light into electricity, are based on this systems.

However, there are several other effects that can generate a current/voltage in semiconductors under illumination. Examples are the Dember effect, the bulk photovoltaic effect, the thermal photoelectric effect, and the photoelectromagnetic effect. These phenomena, and many other solutions was proposed, and are still proposed, as viable options to overcome some limitations of p-n junctions.

In this activity the most relevant unconventional photovoltaic effects will be presented and analyzed.

The aim of this mini-class is to provide a wider understanding of the photovoltaic effect, in all its multiple aspects and limitations, with an overview of the most recent advancements of non p-n photovoltaics and its most likely future perspectives.

Pre-requisite for the understanding of the class contents is the knowledge of basic semiconductors physics (band model, statistic distributions, light-matter interaction, etc.).

Class content: 4 lessons