Investigation on the Photovoltaic Performance of Quantum Dot Solar Cells through Self-Consistent Modeling of Transport and Photoelectron Processes

The use of quantum dots (QDs) in III-V solar cells is an attractive technology to enhance the power conversion efficiency of both single- and multi-junction solar cells. Recently, very interesting results have been demonstrated by combining the use of QD and modulation doping. However, a general consensus on the actual potentiality of the QD approach in terms of achievable efficiency improvement has not yet been reached, either due to the relative immaturity of the technology and because of several uncertainties about the detailed underlying physics, that involve a complex interplay between microscopic and nanoscopic physical processes. To tackle this problem, we have developed an ad hoc, multiscale oriented, modelling approach that couples a drift-diffusion transport model with a detailed description of QD carrier dynamics. In this contribution we present an investigation of the photovoltaic performance of representative GaAs-based QDSCs reported in literature, demonstrating a good accuracy in predicting typical QDSC photovoltaic characteristics. Based on such an approach, a deeper insight is provided on the impact of material and design parameters on the device performance