Performance Comparison for Different Material Quantum Dot Single Intermediate Band Solar Cells

Abstract:

Short circuit current density (J_sc) and photoelectric conversion efficiency (η) of the different material quantum dot intermediate band solar cells (QD-IBSCs) under full concentrated sunlight were compared in this work. The QD-IBSCs were designed with QDs formed from different excitonic Bohr radius semiconductors embedding in the different wide band gap materials. Modulation doping was used to realize partially filling the IB with electrons in QD, the influence of localized states from doping on IB was also considered. The performance of these SCs was numerically simulated based on the detailed balance principle. The J_sc and η in QD-IBSCs can be adjusted via tuning the position and density of states of IB due to varying the mean size (d) and doping level of QDs in absorption region. Under the same doping level in an identical host gap material with ΔE_G=2.0 eV, the J_sc and η of the Si QD-IBSCs can be optimized with 4.3 nm-QDs, however, those of CdTe devices raises while those of Ge cells drops with increasing the sizes of QD from 2 nm to 8 nm. With changing the host gap ΔE_G, variation of the IB energy level E_H with respect to valence band corresponding to the maximum η_m was explored, dependence of η on the operation voltage was analyzed, and the impurity effect on the η was taken into account. Present work indicates that an appropriate band gap material should be adopted to fabricate QDs to embed in suitable doped host gap one to obtain the high performance QD-IBSC.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 477-478)
• Pages: 404-411
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.477-478.404
• Online since: December 2013
• Authors: Wen Sheng Wei*, Feng Shan, Shao Yun Zhao, Qiu Bo Zhang
• Keywords: Detailed Balance Principle, Doping, Intermediate Band, Quantum Dot (QD), Solar Cell

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