Absorption and transport via tunneling in quantum-well solar cells

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Absorption and tunneling are two major physical processes contributing to photocurrent generation in solar cells. Many new "ultra-high efficiency" PV devices utilize quantum effects to enhance their efficiency. This paper calculates the impact of quantum effects on the absorption and tunneling current as a function of electric fields and light trapping ratios. Results show that increasing electric fields enhance tunneling of photogenerated carriers, which dominates over the opposing effect of reduced absorption. Also, the significant advantage of light enhancement over increasing the number of quantum wells (QWs) has been demonstrated. These calculations allow optimizing the tunneling photocurrents in design of QW solar cells.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3464-3470
Number of pages7
JournalSolar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
Volume90
Issue number18-19
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 23 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Absorption
  • Photocurrent
  • Quantum-well solar cells
  • Transport
  • Tunneling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films

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