ePubs

The open archive for STFC research publications

Full Record Details

Persistent URL http://purl.org/net/epubs/work/54342
Record Status Checked
Record Id 54342
Title Intermediate-band solar cells : influence of band formation on dynamical processes in InAs/GaAs quantum dot arrays
Contributors
Abstract We present a theoretical model for design and analysis of semiconductor quantum dot (QD) array-based intermediate-band solar cell (IBSC). The plane-wave method with periodic boundary conditions is used in expansion of thre k p Hamiltonian for calculation of the electronic and optical structure of InAs/GaAs QD array. Taking into account realistic QD shape, QD periodicity in the array, as well as effects such as band mixing between states in the conduction and valence band, strain and piezoelectric field, the model reveals the origin of the intermediate-band formation inside forbidden energy gap of the barrier material. Having established the interrelation between QD periodicity and the electronic structure accross the QD array Brillouin zone, conditions are identified for the appearance of pure zero density-of-states regions, that seperate immediate band from the rest of the conduction band. For one realistic QD array we have estimated all important absorption coefficients in IBSC, and most important, radiative and nonradiative scattering times. Under radiative-limit approximation we have estimated efficiency of such IBSC to be 39%.
Organisation CSE , STFC
Keywords
Funding Information
Related Research Object(s):
Licence Information:
Language English (EN)
Type Details URI(s) Local file(s) Year
Journal Article Phys Rev B 82 (2010): 195321. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.82.195321 2010