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Theory of Quantum Dot Arrays for Solar Cell Devices

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Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Nanoscale Science and Technology ((LNNST,volume 15))

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Abstract

Vertically or laterally coupled semiconductor quantum dot (QD) arrays emerged recently as promising structures for the next generation of high-efficiency intermediate band solar cell (IBSC), due to their ability to facilitate the formation of mini-bands. The quantum coupling effect, that exists between states in QDs of an array, influences the electronic and optical properties of such structures. We present here a method based on multi-band k ⋅ p Hamiltonian combined with periodic boundary conditions, applied to predict the electronic and optical properties of InAs/GaAs QDs based vertical and lateral QD arrays. Formation of the intermediate band (IB) in all cases was achieved via delocalisation of the electron ground state (e0). By changing the geometry of the QD arrangement in arrays we have identified conditions for the IB to be separated by a pure zero density of states from the rest of states in the conduction band (CB). Due to symmetry of the QD array lattice and QD states itself, which are C 2v for the zinc blende QDs, the electronic and absorption structure needs to be obtained via sampling throughout the reciprocal space in the first Brillouin zone of QD arrays.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The TE means that the optical field is polarized along any of, \(\hat{e}_{x} +\hat{ e}_{y}\), directions that are “in-plane” of the structure, and is perpendicular to the QD array growth axis; TM means that the optical field is polarized along, \(\hat{e}_{z}\), direction parallel to the QD array growth axes.

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Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Y. Okada, T. Sogabe and N. Vukmirović for many useful discussions and suggestions. The author is grateful to the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan, for financial support under grant: “Research and Development on Innovative Solar Cells: Post-Silicon solar cells for ultra-high efficiencies”. The author also wishes to thank the STFC e-Science, UK, for providing the computational resources.

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  1. Joule Physics Laboratory, School of Computing, Science and Engineering, University of Salford, Manchester, M5 4WT, UK

    Stanko Tomić

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  1. Stanko Tomić
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Correspondence to Stanko Tomić .

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China, People's Republic

    Jiang Wu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Electronic, University of Electronic Science and Technology, Chengdu, China, People's Republic

    Zhiming M. Wang

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Tomić, S. (2014). Theory of Quantum Dot Arrays for Solar Cell Devices. In: Wu, J., Wang, Z. (eds) Quantum Dot Solar Cells. Lecture Notes in Nanoscale Science and Technology, vol 15. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8148-5_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8148-5_5

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