Effects of n-type doping in InAs/GaAs quantum dot layer on current-voltage characteristic of intermediate band solar cells

TL;DR

This study examines how n-type doping in InAs/GaAs quantum dot layers affects the current-voltage behavior of intermediate band solar cells, revealing that doping improves voltage but reduces current, aligning efficiency with control cells.

Contribution

It provides a practical simulation model showing the effects of n-type doping on quantum dot solar cells, avoiding overestimation common in idealized models.

Findings

N-type doping increases open circuit voltage.

Doping decreases short circuit current density.

Efficiency approaches that of control solar cells.

Abstract

We investigated the current-voltage characteristic of InAs/GaAs quantum dot intermediate band solar cells (QD IBSCs) with different n-type doping density in the QD layer. The n-type doping evidently increases the open circuit voltage, meanwhile decreases the short circuit current density, and leads to the conversion efficiency approaching that of the control solar cell, that is the major role of n-type doping is to suppress the effects of QDs on the current-voltage characteristic. Our model adopts practical parameters for simulation rather than those from detailed balanced method, so that the results in our simulation are not overestimated.