Switchable Giant Bulk Photocurrents and Photo-spin-currents in Monolayer PT-Symmetric Antiferromagnet MnPSe₃

Converting light into steady currents and spin-currents in two-dimensional (2D) platform is essential for future energy harvesting and spintronics. We show that the giant and modulable bulk photovoltaic effects (BPVEs) can be achieved in air-stable 2D antiferromagnet (AFM) monolayer MnPSe₃, with nonlinear photoconductance >4000 nm·μA/V² and photo-spin-conductance >2000 (nm·μA/V²ℏ/2e) in the visible spectrum. The propagation and the spin-polarizations of photocurrents can be switched via simply rotating the Néel vector. We unveil that the PT-symmetry, mirror symmetries, and spin–orbital-couplings are the keys for the observed sizable and controllable 2D BPVEs. All the results provide insights into the BPVEs of 2D AFM and suggest that the layered MnPSe₃ is an outstanding 2D platform for energy device and photo-spintronics.