Modeling of novel lateral AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well solar cell

TL;DR

This paper models a novel lateral AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well solar cell, analyzing how structural parameters affect its performance through quantum mechanical and semiconductor equations, aiming for efficiency optimization.

Contribution

It introduces a new quantum well solar cell model and investigates the effects of structural parameters on device performance using self-consistent quantum and semiconductor modeling.

Findings

Structural parameters significantly influence device characteristics

Optimization of geometrical and material parameters can improve efficiency

Quantum effects are crucial for accurate performance prediction

Abstract

In this paper, a novel lateral quantum well solar cell has been introduced, and the structural parameters effects of these nano-structures on the performance of the device have been investigated. For modeling, the continuity equation has been solved in the quasi neutral regions. However, to analyze the quantum wells' effects, first the Schrodinger and Poisson equations have been solved self-consistently. To find the absorption coefficient derived from the Fermi's golden rule, the obtained Eigen states and energies and also the effects of multilayers using Transfer Matrix Method have been employed. Then, to find the solar cell performance parameters, all radiative and non-radiative recombinations have been accounted. It is found that modifying different geometrical parameters, including the thickness of the system, the widths of the wells and barriers, and also some structural parameters such as the barriers' mole fraction could noticeably influence the characteristics of the device. So, optimizing these parameters is necessary to obtain a good efficiency.