PRESENT STATUS OF THE METALLIC INTERMEDIATE BAND SOLAR CELL RESEARCH

ABSTRACT: The metallic intermediate band solar cell (MIBCELL) concept has been researched for the last three years within the 5th Framework Program of the European Commission. This research pursued an ambitious objective: to put this concept into practice and thus approach a long term goal of electricity produced by a cell at a cost of less than 0.5€/Wp. As a result of this work, intermediate band (IB) material candidates have been identified and MIBCELL prototypes have been produced using quantum dot technology. Low cost manufacturing approaches, based on the use of nanoporous materials have also been researched. The quantum dot approach has provided experimental evidence of the performance of the cells under MIBCELL operating principles. The theory underlying the MIBCELL concept is also now better understood