Modeling of multiple-quantum-well solar cells including capture, escape, and recombination of photoexcited carriers in quantum wells

Ramey, S.; Khoie, Rahim

doi:10.1109/ted.2003.813475

Cited by 74 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Modified versions of Expr. (8) have been used in cases with vanishing current between absorbers and/or absent coupling to contact states [16,17]. Such a hybrid approach is limited in validity by the assumptions underlying the drift-diffusion picture, i.e., bandlike transport with completely thermalized carrier distributions, which does not include any quantum effects such as confinement, tunneling or ballistic transport on very short length scales.…”

Section: Semiclassical Balance Equations With Local Fermi-golden-rulementioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaics at the mesoscale: insights from quantum-kinetic simulation

Aeberhard¹

2018

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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This Topical Review discusses insights into the physical mechanisms of nanostructure solar cell operation as provided by numerical device simulation using a state-of-the-art quantum-kinetic framework based on the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism. After a brief introduction to the field of nanostructure photovoltaics and an overview of the existing literature on theoretical description and experimental implementation of such devices, the quantum-kinetic formulation of photovoltaic processes is discussed in detail, together with more conventional modeling approaches such as global detailed balance theory and the semi-classical drift-diffusion-Poisson-Maxwell picture. Application examples provided subsequently include III-V semiconductor nanostructures ranging from ultra-thin absorbers to quantum well and quantum dot solar cell devices. The focus is on common features encountered in photovoltaic nanostructure architectures such as the impact of configurational parameters and operating conditions on device characteristics, and the pronounced deviations from the semiclassical bulk picture. Ultra-thin absorbers are investigated with focus on the effect of built-in fields and contact configuration on radiative rates and currents. For the case of single and multi-quantum-well p-in devices, generation, recombination, and escape of carriers are discussed, and quantum well superlattice solar cells are considered with regard to charge carrier transport regimes ranging from band-like transport in miniband states to sequential tunneling between neighboring periods. Double quantum well structures are further studied in the context of tunnel junctions for multijunction solar cell. The investigation of quantum dots covers the fluorescence of colloidal nanoparticles for luminescent solar concentrators as well as the impact of configurational parameters on the photovoltaic properties of regimented quantum dot arrays, both in single-junction and intermediate-band configurations.

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Section: Semiclassical Balance Equations With Local Fermi-golden-rulementioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaics at the mesoscale: insights from quantum-kinetic simulation

Aeberhard¹

2018

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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“…To optimize collection of photogenerated carriers from the quantum wells and to minimize the reduction of V oc , a sufficiently large electric field across the intrinsic region -typically ~30 kV/cm or more 15,16 -must be maintained, and the barriers over which the carriers must be thermally or optically excited are typically 200-450 meV or less. 15,17,18,19 The former condition requires that the intrinsic region in the p-i-n diode be sufficiently thin, while the latter is satisfied by appropriate choice of quantum-well and barrier materials. For the device structure shown in Fig.…”

Section: Device Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupling of light scattered by nanoparticles into waveguide modes in quantum-well solar cells

et al. 2008

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We describe experimental and theoretical analysis of coupling of light scattered by metal or dielectric nanoparticles into waveguide modes of InP/InGaAsP quantum-well solar cells. The integration of metal or dielectric nanoparticles above the quantum-well solar cell device is shown to couple normally incident light into lateral optical propagation paths, with optical confinement provided by the refractive index contrast between the quantum-well layers and surrounding material. Photocurrent response spectra yield clear evidence of scattering of photons into the multiple-quantum-well waveguide structure, and consequently increased photocurrent generation, at wavelengths between the band gaps of the barrier and quantum-well layers. With minimal optimization, a short-circuit current density increase of 12.9% and 7.3% and power conversion efficiency increases of 17% and 1% are observed for silica and Au nanoparticles, respectively. A theoretical approach for calculating the optical coupling is described, and the resulting analysis suggests that extremely high coupling efficiency can be attained in appropriately designed structures.

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“…This problem specifically concerns the MQWs based on the GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures where the donor centers can exist both in the wells and barriers. In addition to the useful applications of MQWs to infrared photodetectors [14][15][16][17] , light-emitting diode array (emitters) [18][19][20][21] and cascade lasers [22][23][24][25] , nonlinear optics 26 , phononic crystals 27 they provide a test system for the study of electron correlation in two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) when the electrons are spatially conned by the potentials of closely spaced multilayers [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landau levels and shallow donor states in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum wells at megagauss magnetic fields

et al. 2017

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Landau levels and shallow donor states in multiple GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (MQWs) are investigated by means of the cyclotron resonance at mega-gauss magnetic fields. Measurements of magneto-optical transitions were performed in pulsed fields up to 140 T and temperatures from 6 to 300 K. The 14 × 14 P•p band model for GaAs is used to interpret free-electron transitions in a magnetic field. Temperature behavior of the observed resonant structure indicates, in addition to the free-electron Landau states, contributions of magneto-donor states in the GaAs wells and possibly in the AlGaAs barriers. The magneto-donor energies are calculated using a variational procedure suitable for high magnetic fields and accounting for conduction band nonparabolicity in GaAs. It is shown that the above states, including their spin splitting, allow one to interpret the observed magneto-optical transitions in MQWs in the middle infrared region. Our experimental and theoretical results at very high magnetic fields are consistent with the picture used previously for GaAs/AlGaAs MQWs at lower magnetic fields.

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Modeling of multiple-quantum-well solar cells including capture, escape, and recombination of photoexcited carriers in quantum wells

Cited by 74 publications

References 28 publications

Photovoltaics at the mesoscale: insights from quantum-kinetic simulation

Photovoltaics at the mesoscale: insights from quantum-kinetic simulation

Coupling of light scattered by nanoparticles into waveguide modes in quantum-well solar cells

Landau levels and shallow donor states in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum wells at megagauss magnetic fields

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