Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Yoshida, Megumi
• Amrania, Hemmel
• Farrell, Daniel J.
• Browne, Ben
• Yoxall, Edward
• Ekins-Daukes, N. J.
• Phillips, Chris C.

Titel

Progress Toward Realizing an Intermediate Band Solar Cell-Sequential Absorption of Photons in a Quantum Well Solar Cell

Ist Teil von

• IEEE journal of photovoltaics, 2014-03, Vol.4 (2), p.634-638

Ort / Verlag

Piscataway: IEEE

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Quelle

IEEE Electronic Library Online

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• In order to realize an intermediate band solar cell, which promises high photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency, achieving higher photocurrent while maintaining the cell voltage is essential. We report on a transient photocurrent due to the sequential absorption of photons in a single quantum well by continuously pumping to stimulate interband transitions (from a valence band to an intermediate band) and showing an intersubband transition (from an intermediate band to a conduction band) with a pulsed infrared laser. We demonstrate the extent to which multiple-photon absorption can be achieved in quantum well devices and propose that a quantum well is a suitable candidate for an intermediate band solar cell. From the combination of this and other sequential absorption results, it is clear that enhancing the short lifetime of a carrier in the intermediate band is the next step toward achieving a working intermediate band solar cell. In light of this, we enhance our previous suggestion, the photon ratchet intermediate band solar cell, as a means of increasing the electron lifetime.