The role of intersubband optical transitions on the electrical properties of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells

ABSTRACT We report on an experimental study of the intersubband optical response of an In0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs quantum dot solar cell (QDSC). By calculating the quantum dot absorption cross section, the strength of the intersubband optical transitions is gauged, and their importance and influence on the e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Progress in photovoltaics 2013-06, Vol.21 (4), p.736-746
Main Authors: Jolley, Greg, Fu, Lan, Lu, Hao Feng, Tan, Hark Hoe, Jagadish, Chennupati
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Electric potential
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
III-V semiconductors
intermediate band
intersubband transitions
Natural energy
Photovoltaic conversion
quantum dot
solar cell
Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells
Solar energy
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Summary:ABSTRACT We report on an experimental study of the intersubband optical response of an In0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs quantum dot solar cell (QDSC). By calculating the quantum dot absorption cross section, the strength of the intersubband optical transitions is gauged, and their importance and influence on the electrical properties of the solar cell can be compared with those of other physical processes such as thermal intersubband and optical interband transitions. The temperature‐dependent photocurrent and dark current characteristics of the QDSC have also been analyzed in detail, leading to an understanding of the specific effects reducing the open‐circuit voltage. The deviation of QDSCs from idealized models is discussed, and some conditions required for an improved open‐circuit voltage are suggested. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Intersubband optical transitions are of great importance to theoretical models of quantum dot intermediate band solar cells. Very few studies have been performed to assess the magnitude of the role that intersubband optical transitions play in quantum dot solar cells. We report on a detailed experimental study of intersubband optical transitions of an In0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs quantum dot solar cell.
ISSN:1062-7995
1099-159X
DOI:10.1002/pip.2161