To make the solar cell technology more competitive as a source of alternative energy, the study of how to improve its efficiency is essential. The detailed balance efficiency of traditional and one-intermediate band solar cell (one-IBSC) is analyzed by using realistic spectra at AM0 and AM1.5 under various light concentrations. Theoretically, the optimum location for one-IB is investigated to determine the maximum efficiency of one-IBSC. The quantum dot (QD) intermediate band solar cell is studied with the effect of some parameters for QD such as width size (QDW) and barrier thickness (BT) to determine the optimum location of one-IB. The main results conclude that the one-IBSC under AM0 spectrum has maximum balanced efficiencies reached to 45.70% and 63.56% for 1 Sun and maximum light concentration, respectively. While for AM1.5 spectrum these efficiencies are 49.35% and 67.60% with the same conditions of AM0 spectrum. The results also show that the maximum balanced efficiencies for one-IBSC nearly achieved when they are processed by QDs which have the main parameters, QDW and BT.

1.
C.
Linge
, “
Modeling of the intermediate band tandem solar cell using the AM1.5 spectra
,” M.Sc. thesis,
Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology, Norwegian
,
2011
.
2.
D.
Dimova-Malinovska
, “
The state-of-the-art and future development of the photovoltaic technologies – the route from crystalline to nanostructured and new emerging materials
,”
J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.
253
,
012007
(
2010
).
3.
G. L.
Araújo
and
A.
Martí
, “
Absolute limiting efficiency for photovoltaic energy conversion
,”
Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells
33
,
213
240
(
1994
).
4.
A.
Martí
and
G. L.
Araújo
, “
Limiting efficiencies for photovoltaic energy conversion in multigap systems
,”
Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells
43
,
203
222
(
1996
).
5.
A.
Marti
,
L.
Cuandra
, and
A.
Luque
, “
Quantum dot intermediate band solar cell
,” in 28th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (
2000
), pp.
940
943
.
6.
A.
Luque
and
A.
Marti
, “
Thermodynamic consistency of sub-bandgap absorbing solar cell proposals
,”
IEEE Trans. Electron Devices
49
,
2118
2124
(
2001
).
7.
M. Y.
Levy
,
C.
Honsberg
,
A.
Marti
, and
A.
Luque
, “
Quantum dot intermediate band solar cell material systems-with negligible valence band offsets
,” in 31st IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (
2005
), pp. 90–93.
8.
L.
Kosyachenko
,
Solar Cells–New Aspects and Solutions
(
InTech
,
2011
).
9.
A.
Ogura
,
T.
Morioka
,
P.
Garcia
,
E.
Hernandez
,
I.
Ramiro
,
E.
Antolin
,
A.
Marti
,
A.
Luque
,
M.
Yamaguchi
, and
Y.
Okada
, “
Modelling of quantum dot solar cells for concentrator PV applications
,” in 37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC (
2011
), pp.
2642
2645
.
10.
J.
Ojajarvi
, “
Tetrahedral chalcopyrite quantum dots in solar-cell applications
,” M.Sc. Thesis (
Jyvaskyla University, Finland
,
2010
).
11.
A. M.
Aly
and
A.
Nasr
, “
Effect of multi-intermediate bands on the behavior of InAs1xNx/GaAs1xSbx quantum dot solar cell
,”
Renew. Energ.
(submitted).
12.
E. J.
Steven
, “
Quantum dot intermediate band solar cells: Design criteria and optimal materials
,” Ph.D. Thesis (
Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
,
2012
).
13.
W.
van Roosbroeck
and
W.
Shockley
, “
Photon-radiative recombination of electrons and holes in germanium
,”
Phys. Rev.
94
,
1558
1560
(
1954
).
14.
A.
Nasr
and
A. M.
Aly
, “
Theoretical investigation of some parameters into the behavior of quantum dot solar cells
,” Journal of Semiconductor (submitted).
15.
A. M.
Aly
, “
Determination of some parameters which affects into the efficiency of QDIBSC
,” Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering (submitted).
16.
S.
Bremner
,
M.
Levy
, and
C.
Honsberg
, “
Limiting efficiency of an intermediate band solar cell under a terrestrial spectrum
,”
Appl. Phys. Lett.
92
,
171110
(
2008
).
17.
W.
Shockley
and
H. J.
Queisser
, “
Detailed balance limit of efficiency of p‐n junction solar cells
,”
J. Appl. Phys.
32
,
510
519
(
1961
).
18.
R.
Aguinaldo
, “
Modeling solutions and simulations for advanced III-V photovoltaics based on nanostructures
,” M.Sc. Thesis (
College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
,
2008
).
19.
P. G.
Linares
,
A.
Marti
,
E.
Antolin
,
I.
Ramiro
,
E.
Lopez
,
C. D.
Farmer
,
C. R.
Stanley
, and
A.
Luque
, “
Low-temperature concentrated light characterization applied to intermediate band solar cells,”
IEEE J. Photovoltaics
3
(
2
),
753
(
2013
).
20.
T. S.
Navruz
and
M.
Saritas
, “
Efficiency variation of the intermediate band solar cell due to the overlap between absorption coefficients
,”
Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells
92
,
273
282
(
2008
).
21.
A.
Luque
,
A.
Martí
,
E.
Antolín
, and
P.
García-Linares
, “
Intraband absorption for normal illumination in quantum dot intermediate band solar cells
,”
Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells
94
,
2032
2035
(
2010
).
22.
A.
Nasr
, “
Theoretical study of the photocurrent performance into quantum dot solar cells
,”
Opt. Laser Technol.
48
,
135
140
(
2013
).
23.
A.
Nasr
, “
Theoretical model for observation of the conversion efficiency into quantum dot solar cells
,” Journal of Solar Energy Engineering (submitted).
24.
Q.
Xiaosheng
,
Z.
Sisi
,
B.
Hongyin
, and
X.
Liling
, “
The effect of InAs quantum-dot size and interdot distance on GaInP/GaAs/GaInAs/Ge multi-junction tandem solar cells
,”
J. Semicond.
34
(
6
),
062003
062005
(
2013
).
25.
A. M.
Aly
and
A.
Nasr
, “
Theoretical performance of solar cell based on mini-bands quantum dots
,”
J. Appl. Phys.
115
,
114311
(
2014
).
26.
S. P.
Day
, “
The Kronig-Penney approximation: May it live on
,”
IEEE Trans. Educ.
33
(
4
),
355
(
1990
).
You do not currently have access to this content.