Parallel tempered Bayesian inference for characterizing non-ideal semiconductors: Carrier trapping in cadmium telluride thin films.

We describe an improved Bayesian inference methodology to characterize photovoltaic materials by matching charge carrier simulations to spectroscopy data. A "parallel tempering" scheme is introduced, which efficiently and reliably locates the global maximum in the complex multimodal distributions that are characteristic of cadmium telluride (CdTe) films. Our results show that the standard carrier transport model cannot explain the observed decay of time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) data from CdTe films and that there is carrier trapping within low-lying defect states.

Low-Temperature, Solution-Based Synthesis of Luminescent Chalcogenide Perovskite BaZrS Nanoparticles.

Chalcogenide perovskites constitute a promising earth-abundant, non-toxic, and robust semiconductor family with the potential to compete with hybrid perovskites as high-quality photovoltaic absorbers. However, a low-temperature, solution-based synthesis route has eluded researchers in this area. Here we report the colloidal synthesis of chalcogenide perovskite BaZrS nanoparticles at 330 °C in organic solvent.