Multiple carrier generation in solar cells

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

Volumn 94, Issue 11, 2010, Pages 1927-1930

  Queisser, Hans J ^a  

^a MAX PLANCK INSTITUT FÜR FESTKÖRPERFORSCHUNG   (Germany)

Author keywords

Hot carriers; Impact ionisation; Inverse problem; Multiple pair generation

Indexed keywords

BAND GAPS; EFFICIENCY ENHANCEMENT; ENERGY WASTES; HIGH ENERGY; IONISATION; JUNCTION CELLS; LOW ENERGY PHOTONS; MULTIPLE CARRIERS; MULTIPLE PAIRS; OPTIMAL MATERIALS; P-N JUNCTION; PHOTON ENERGY; SILICON JUNCTION; SOLAR PHOTONS;

ENERGY CONVERSION; HOT CARRIERS; IMPACT IONIZATION; INVERSE PROBLEMS; PHOTONS; TEXTILE MILLS;

SOLAR ENERGY;

EID: 77957169258     PISSN: 09270248     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2010.08.006     Document Type: Article

References (27)

1. S.M. Sze, K.K. Ng, For a general review of the physics of solar cells, Physics of Semiconductor Devices, third edition, Wiley, Hoboken, 2007 (esp. Chapter 13) (ISBN: 978-0-471-14323-9)
2. W. Shockley, and H.J. Queisser Detailed balance limit of efficiency of pn junction solar cells J. Appl. Phys. 32 1961 510
3. The possibility of multiple-pair-generation was already recognized early; see the rather detailed footnote (12) in Ref. [2], referring to early work by J. Tauc and V. S. Vavilov.
4. M. Yamaguchi Multi-junction solar cells and novel structures for solar cell applications Physica E 14 2002 84
5. J.M. Olson, S.R. Kurtz, and K.E. Kibbler A 27.3% efficient Ga0.5In0.5P/GaAs tandem solar cell Appl. Phys. Lett. 56 1990 623
6. W. Guter, J. Schne, S. Philipps, M. Steiner, G. Siefer, A. Wekkeli, E. Welser, E. Oliva, A.W. Bett, and F. Dimroth Current-matched triple-junction solar cell reaching 41.1% conversion efficiency under concentrated sunlight Appl. Phys. Lett. 94 2009 223504
7. S. Kolodinski, J.H. Werner, T. Wittchen, and H.J. Queisser Quantum efficiencies exceeding unity due to impact ionization in silicon solar cells Appl. Phys. Lett. 63 2405 1994 2405
8. S. Kolodinski, Doctoral thesis, University of Stuttgart, 1993.
9. The advice and help by B. Hfflinger and W. Appel (Institute of Microelectronics Stuttgart) with the perfected Si samples are gratefully acknowledged.
10. A.R. Beattie, and P.T. Landsberg Auger effect in semiconductors Proc. R. Soc. (London) A 249 1959 16
11. The deleterious role of Auger recombination for solar cell efficiencies was first described by W. Shockley and H.J. Queisser, Ref. [2].
12. see Ref. [1], Chapter 2, Section 2.4.
13. S. Kolodinski, J.H. Werner, H.J. Queisser, Novel principles for maximal energy conversion efficiency in photovoltaics, in: D.J. Lockwood (ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Semiconductor Physics, Vancouver, Canada, World Scientific, Singapore, 1995, p. 2621.
14. J.H. Werner, S. Kolodinski, H.J. Queisser, Novel optimization principles and efficiency limits for semiconductor solar cells. Phys. Rev. Lett. 72 (1994) 3851.
15. For a recent survey of a symposium, see H. Lbbig (Ed.), The Inverse Problem, Akademie Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 1995.
16. H.J. Queisser, J.H. Werner, in Ref. [14, p 165]
17. see, for example: J.C. Phillips, Bonds and Bands in Semiconductors, Academic, New York, 1973.
18. A.K. Louis, Inverse und schlecht gestellte Probleme, Teubner, Stuttgart, 1989
19. also see A. Zunger, 27th International Conference on Semiconductor Physics, paper G2-8, 2004, p. 57
20. V.E. Korepin, N.M. Bogoliubov, and A.G. Izergin Quantum Inverse Scattering Methods and Correlation Functions 1933 Cambridge University Press
21. S. Deb, and H. Saha Secondary ionisation and its possible bearing on the performance of a solar cell Solid-State Electron. 15 1972 1389
22. R. Brendel, J.H. Werner, and H.J. Queisser Thermodynamic efficiency limits for semiconductor solar cells with carrier multiplication Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 41/42 1996 419
23. x alloys; see the references in this paper on the various other early attempts to use multi-carrier generation in solar cells J. Appl. Phys. 83 1998 4213
24. A.J. Nozik Quantum dot solar cells Physica E 14 2002 115
25. A. Luque, A. Marti, and L. Cuadra Thermodynamics of solar energy conversion in novel structures Physica E 14 2002 107
26. V. Klimov, quoted in "Physics World", July 2007, p. 20
27. see the research on nanocrystals of PbSe and CdSe in R.D. Schaller, M.A. Petruska, V.I. Klimov, Effect of electronic structure on carrier multiplication efficiency: comparative study of PbSe and CdSe nanocrystals, Appl. Phys. Lett. 87 (2005) 253102.