Numerical modeling of intermediate band solar cells

作者：Tobias I^*; Luque A; Marti A

来源：Semiconductor Science and Technology, 2011, 26(1): 014031.

DOI：10.1088/0268-1242/26/1/014031

The performance of intermediate band solar cells under concentrated sunlight is analyzed by means of computer simulation. The continuity equations for electrons and holes and the Poisson equation are numerically solved in one dimension under steady-state conditions. Two situations are considered for a given density of intermediate band centers and optical cross sections. In the first situation, the intermediate band is undoped and a large capture coefficient links conduction and intermediate bands; a large short circuit current enhancement with respect to a conventional cell is obtained, but at the price of strong voltage and efficiency degradation. In the second, the intermediate band is partially filled by doping and there is little thermal contact with the semiconductor bands. The potential of the intermediate band concept is then realized with significant efficiency improvement under highly concentrated illumination. The analysis also reveals that the approximation of flat quasi-Fermi levels is not appropriate.

• 出版日期2011-1