Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2013 · 11 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesMaterials SciencePhysicsCondensed Matter PhysicsOptoelectronicsPhotonicsOptical Properties Of SemiconductorsQuantum DotsSemiconductor Device MaterialsSemiconductor PhysicsSolar Cell MaterialsSolar CellsElectronic Band TheoryEnergy Band GapMott TransitionOptical Absorption CoefficientOptoelectronic PropertiesQuantum Dot Solar CellsSemiconductor Quantum DotsSolar Cell Device Physics
The concept of "intermediate band solar cell" (IBSC) is, apparently, simple to grasp. However, since the idea was proposed, our understanding has improved and we feel now that we can explain better some concepts than we initially introduced. Clarifying these concepts is important, even if they are well-known for the advanced researcher, so that efforts can be driven in the right direction from start. The six pieces of this work are: Does a miniband need to be formed when the IBSC is implemented with quantum dots?; What are the problems of each of the main practical approaches that exist today? What are the simplest experimental techniques to demonstrate whether an IBSC is working as such or not? What is the issue with the absorption coefficient overlap? and Mott's transition? What the best system would be, if any?