Exploring the potential of quantum wells for efficiency enhancement in photovoltaic cells

Masakazu Sugiyama; Yunpeng Wang; Hiromasa Fujii; Hassanet Sodabanlu; Yu Wen; Kentaroh Watanabe; Yoshiaki Nakano

doi:10.1117/12.911078

21 February 2012 Exploring the potential of quantum wells for efficiency enhancement in photovoltaic cells

Masakazu Sugiyama, Yunpeng Wang, Hiromasa Fujii, Hassanet Sodabanlu, Yu Wen, Kentaroh Watanabe, Yoshiaki Nakano

Proceedings Volume 8256, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices; 82560D (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.911078
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

A quantum-well suparlattice cell, in which In_0.13Ga_0.86As (4.7 nm) / GaAs_0.57P_0.43 (3.1 nm) strain-balanced quantum wells are inserted in the intrinsic region of a GaAs pin cell, has been implemented by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and has exhibited an enhanced short-circuit current density, with an increment of 3.0 mA/cm² and a minimal drop in open-circuit voltage (0.03 V) compared to a pin cell without the superlattice. The collection efficiency of photocarriers, which are generated in a cell upon the irradiation of monochromatic light, to an external circuit has been evaluated for both the superlattice cell and a conventional quantum-well cell with thicker wells and barriers. This carrier collection efficiency is was above 0.95 for the superlattice cell, regardless of a wavelength and an external bias, while the value for the quantum-well cell degraded to be below 0.8 at a large forward bias, which evidenced superior carrier transport with the help of tunneling through the thin barriers. With such a fast electron-hole separation in the superlattice, photo-current generation by two-step photon absorption has been observed, using the electron ground state of the superlattice as an intermediate band.

Citation Download Citation

Masakazu Sugiyama, Yunpeng Wang, Hiromasa Fujii, Hassanet Sodabanlu, Yu Wen, Kentaroh Watanabe, and Yoshiaki Nakano "Exploring the potential of quantum wells for efficiency enhancement in photovoltaic cells", Proc. SPIE 8256, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices, 82560D (21 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.911078

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