Advantages of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells with stepped-thickness quantum wells

InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) solar cells with stepped-thickness quantum wells (SQW) are designed and grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The stepped-thickness quantum wells structure, in which the well thickness becomes smaller and smaller along the growth direction, reveals better crystalline quality and better spectral overlap with the solar spectrum. Consequently, the short-circuit current density (Jsc) and conversion efficiency of the solar cell are enhanced by 27.12% and 56.41% compared with the conventional structure under illumination of AM1.5G (100 mW/cm2). In addition, approaches to further promote the performance of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells are discussed and presented.     

Optimization towards reduction of efficiency droop in blue GaN/InGaN based light emitting diodes

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on GaN/InGaN material suffer from efficiency droop at high current injection levels. We propose multiple quantum well (MQW) GaN/InGaN LEDs by optimizing the barrier thickness and high–low–high indium composition to reduce the efficiency droop. The simulation results reflect a significant improvement in the efficiency droop by using barrier width of 10 nm and high–low–high indium composition in MQW LED.     

Carrier transport via V-shaped pits in InGaN/GaN MQW solar cells

Carrier transport via the V-shaped pits(V-pits) in InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well(MQW) solar cells is numerically investigated. By simulations, it is found that the V-pits can act as effective escape paths for the photo-generated carriers. Due to the thin barrier thickness and low indium composition of the MQW on V-pit sidewall, the carriers entered the sidewall QWs can easily escape and contribute to the photocurrent. This forms a parallel escape route for the carries generated in the flat quantum wells. As the barrier thickness of the flat MQW increases, more carriers would transport via the V-pits. Furthermore, it is found that the V-pits may reduce the recombination losses of carriers due to their screening effect to the dislocations. These discoveries are not only helpful for understanding the carrier transport mechanism in the InGaN/GaN MQW, but also important in design of the structure of solar cells.     

具有超晶格应力调制结构的绿光InGaN/GaN多量子阱的发光特性

研究了具有InGaN/GaN超晶格(SL)插入结构的绿光InGaN/GaN多量子阱(MQW)的发光特性。结构测试表明,SL插入结构并没有引起MQW中平均In组份的增加,而是改变了In组份的分布,形成了高In组份的量子点和低In组份量子阱。其电致发光(EL)谱和光致发光(PL)谱均出现了双发光峰。我们认为这两个 峰分别来自于量子点和量子阱,且存在着载流子从阱向点转移的输运机制。最后变温PL积分强度的Arrhenius 拟合表明,SL插入结构并没有在MQW中引入新的缺陷,使其发光效率下降。     

Control of simultaneous effects of the temperature,indium composition and the impact ionization process on the performance of the InN/InxGa1-xN quantum dot solar cells

The impact ionization in semiconductor materials is a process that produces multiple charge carrier pairs from a single excitation. This mechanism constitutes a possible road to increase the efficiency of the p-n and p-i-n solar cells junctions. Our study considers the structure of InN/InGaN quantum dot solar cell in the calculation. In this work, we study the effect of indium concentration and temperature on the coefficient $\theta$ of the material type parameter of the impact ionization process for a p(InGaN)-n(InGaN) and p(InGaN)-i(QDs-InN)-n(InGaN) solar cell. Next, we investigate the effect of perturbation such as temperature and indium composition on conventional solar cell’s (p(InGaN)-n(InGaN)) and solar cells of the third generation with quantum dot intermediate band IBSC (p(InGaN-i(QD-InN)-n(InGaN)) by analyzing their behaviour in terms of efficiency of energy conversion at the presence of the impact ionization process. Our numerical results show that the efficiency is strongly influenced by all of these parameters. It is also demonstrated that $\theta$ decreased with the increase of indium concentration and temperature which contributes to an overall improvement of the conversion efficiency.     

具有三角形InGaN/GaN多量子阱的高内量子效率的蓝光LED(英文)

对InGaN量子阱LED的内量子效率进行了优化研究。分别对发光光谱、量子阱中的载流子浓度、能带分布、静电场和内量子效应进行了理论分析。对具有不同量子阱数量的InGaN/GaN LED进行了理论数值比对研究。研究结果表明,对于传统结构的LED而言,2个量子阱的结构相对于5个和7个量子阱具有更好的光学性能。同时还研究了具有三角形量子阱结构的LED,研究结果显示,三角形多量子阱结构具有较高的电致发光强度、更高的内量子效率和更好的发光效率,所有的优点都归因于较高的电子-空穴波函数重叠率和低的Stark效应所产生的较高的载流子输入效率和复合发光效率。     

Efficiency droop suppression in GaN-based light-emitting diodes by chirped multiple quantum well structure at high current injection

Gallium nitride(Ga N) based light-emitting diodes(LEDs) with chirped multiple quantum well(MQW) structures have been investigated experimentally and numerically in this paper. Compared to conventional LEDs with uniform quantum wells(QWs), LEDs with chirped MQW structures have better internal quantum efficiency(IQE) and carrier injection efficiency. The droop ratios of LEDs with chirped MQW structures show a remarkable improvement at 600 m A/mm2,reduced down from 28.6%(conventional uniform LEDs) to 23.7%(chirped MQWs-a) and 18.6%(chirped MQWs-b),respectively. Meanwhile, the peak IQE increases from 76.9%(uniform LEDs) to 83.7%(chirped MQWs-a) and 88.6%(chirped MQWs-b). The reservoir effect of chirped MQW structures is the significant reason as it could increase hole injection efficiency and radiative recombination. The leakage current and Auger recombination of chirped MQW structures can also be suppressed. Furthermore, the chirped MQWs-b structure with lower potential barriers can enhance the reservoir effect and obtain further improvement of the carrier injection efficiency and radiative recombination, as well as further suppressing efficiency droop.     

Solar energy harvesting scheme using syringe-like ZnO nanorod arrays for InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells

Syringe-like ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) synthesized by a hydrothermal method were applied as the light-harvesting layer on InGaN-based multiple quantum well (MQW) solar cells. Theoretical calculations show that the NRAs with an abrupt shrinkage of tip diameter can further suppress surface reflectance in comparison with the flat NRAs. InGaN-based MQW solar cells with the syringe-like NRAs exhibit greatly improved conversion efficiencies by 36%. These results are attributed to the improved flatness of the refractive index profile at the air/device interface, which results in enhanced light trapping effect on the device surface.     

Investigation of wavelength-dependent efficiency droop in InGaN light-emitting diodes

The physical mechanisms leading to the efficiency droop of InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are theoretically investigated. We first discuss the effect of Auger recombination loss on efficiency droop by taking different Auger coefficients into account. It is found that the Auger recombination process plays a significant nonradiative part for carriers at typical LED operation currents when the Auger coefficient is on the order of 10⁻³⁰ cm⁶ s⁻¹. Furthermore, the InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well (MQW) LEDs with varied indium compositions in InGaN quantum wells are studied to analyze the wavelength-dependent efficiency droop. The simulation results show that the wavelength-dependent efficiency droop is caused by several different effects including non-uniform carrier distribution, electron overflow, built-in electrostatic field induced by spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization, and Auger recombination loss. These internal physical mechanisms are the critical factors resulting in the wavelength-dependent efficiency droop in InGaN/GaN MQW LEDs.     

Influence of growth parameters on the properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The effects of growth parameters such as barrier growth time, growth pressure and indium flow rate on the properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) were investigated by using photoluminescence (PL), high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), and atomic force microscope (AFM). The InGaN/GaN MQW structures were grown on c-plane sapphire substrate by using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. With increasing barrier growth time, the PL peak energy is blue-shifted by 18 nm. For InGaN/GaN MQW structures grown at different growth pressures, the PL intensity is maximized in the 300 Torr – grown structure, which could be attributed to the improved structural quality confirmed by HRXRD and AFM results. Also, the optical properties of InGaN/GaN MQW are strongly affected by the indium flow rate.     

基于量子阱结构的高效磷光有机电致发光器件

采用多重量子阱结构制作了高效红色磷光有机电致发光器件。以4,4'-bis(N-carbazolyl)-1,10-biphenyl (CBP)掺杂bis(1-phenyl-isoquinoline)(Acetylacetonato) iridium(Ⅲ) (Ir(piq)₂(acac))为发光层,4,4'-bis(N-carbazolyl)-1,10-biphenyl(Bphen)为电荷控制层,形成了Ⅱ型双量子阱结构,器件的最大亮度为15 000 cd/m²,最大电流效率为7.4 cd/A,相对于参考器件提高了21%。研究结果表明:以Bphen为电荷控制层形成的Ⅱ型多重量子阱结构能有效地将载流子和激子限制在势阱中,并且使空穴和电子的注入更加平衡,从而提高了载流子复合的几率和器件的效率。     

Investigation of InGaN green light-emitting diodes with chirped multiple quantum well structures

The effect of using chirped multiple quantum-well (MQW) structures in InGaN green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is numerically investigated. An active structure, which is with both thick QWs with low indium composition on the p-side and thin QWs with high indium composition next to the n-region, is presented in this study. The thickness and indium composition in each single QW is specifically tuned to emit the same green emission spectrum. Comparing with conventional active structure design of green LEDs, which is using uniform MQWs, the output power is increased by 27% at 20 mA, and by 15% at 100 mA current injections. This improvement is mainly attributed to the enhanced efficiency of carrier injection into QWs and the improved capability of carrier transport.     

一种新方法制备硅/聚(3, 4-乙撑二氧噻吩)核/壳纳米线阵列杂化太阳能电池

采用气相聚合法制备了有机/无机杂化的硅/聚3, 4-乙撑二氧噻吩核/壳纳米线阵列(SiNWs/PEDOT)太阳能电池. 相对平面结构Si/PEDOT太阳能电池, SiNWs/PEDOT太阳能电池的能量转换效率提升了7倍, 达到3.23%.对比分析反射光谱、I-V曲线及外量子效率的实验结果, 发现SiNWs/PEDOT太阳能电池性能改进的主要原因可归结为: 气相聚合法能够有效地制备出SiNWs/PEDOT电池的核/壳纳米线阵列结构, 使得器件具有高光捕获、高比结面积和高电荷收集效率. 关键词： Si/PEDOT核/壳纳米线结构 太阳能电池 气相聚合     

碲化镉薄膜太阳能电池电学特性参数分析

用inline方式全部近空间升华方法制备n-CdS/p-CdTe取得了～11%的转换效率(AM1.5). 把其中n-CdS层采用磁控溅射方法取得了～10%的转换效率(AM1.5). 基于其电流密度-电压(J-V)曲线和外量子效率曲线, 分析了其拟合关键参数对于电池性能的影响程度, 并从理论分析上把目前器件性能参数与当今前沿性能参数以及其理论值进行比较, 指出了如何提高电池转换效率(η)的方法: 提高开路电压(V_oc)、短路电流(J_sc)和填充因子(FF). 关键词： 碲化镉电池 电流密度-电压曲线 外量子效率曲线 电学特性     

Compositional investigation of potassium doped Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells with efficiencies up to 20.8%

We report on the interaction between intentional potassium doping of thin film Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cells, CIGS absorber composition, and device efficiency. Up to now high efficiency CIGS solar cells could not be produced with a gallium/(gallium + indium) ratio higher than 35%. The new doping process step does not only increase solar cell conversion efficiencies up to 20.8%, but also allows a shift in the CIGS absorber composition towards higher gallium content whilst maintaining this high efficiencies level. We find that the saturation of the open circuit voltages for higher gallium content that is normally observed can partially be overcome by the new doping procedure. This observation leads us to the conclusion that even on this high performance level CIGS solar cells still hold a potential for further development beyond the record values reported here. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Impurity photovoltaic effect in silicon solar cells doped with two impurities

In this work, a numerical study has been carried out to investigate the impurity photovoltaic (IPV) effect for silicon solar cells doped with two impurities (indium and thallium). It is found that the conversion efficiency \(\eta \) of the IPV solar cell doped with two impurities can improve by 2.21 % absolute, which is greater than that of the IPV solar cell doped with indium ( \(\Delta \eta =1.63\,\%\) ), but less than that of the one doped with thallium ( \(\Delta \eta =2.69\,\%\) ). It is concluded that introducing two IPV impurities may not be a good selection for implementing the IPV effect since one impurity with poorer IPV effect can absorb some sub-bandgap photons while contributing fewer currents. The location of impurity energy level is critical to the IPV cell performance. For an acceptor-type IPV impurity, the optimized location of the IPV impurity energy level locates at 0.20–0.26 eV above the valence band edge. Our results may help to make better use of the IPV effect for improving solar cell efficiency.     

In组分渐变提高InGaN/GaN多量子阱发光二极管发光性能

利用金属有机物化学气相沉积系统在蓝宝石衬底上通过有源层的变温生长,得到In组分渐变的量子阱结构,从而获得具有三角形能带结构的InGaN/GaN多量子阱发光二极管(LED)(简称三角形量子阱结构LED).变温光致发光谱结果表明,相对于传统具有方形能带结构的量子阱LED(简称方形量子阱结构LED),三角形量子阱结构有效提高了量子阱中电子和空穴波函数的空间交叠,从而增加了LED的内量子效率;电致发光谱结果表明,三角形量子阱结构LED器件与传统结构LED器件相比,明显改善了发光峰值波长随着电流的蓝移现象.通过以上     

基于GaAs/InAs-GaAs/ZnSe量子点太阳电池结构的优化

基于GaAs/InAs-GaAs/ZnSe的P-i-N量子点太阳电池结构, 根据光学原理和扩散理论建立了光生电流密度与膜层厚度相关的数学模型, 定量分析了量子点层厚度等参数对太阳电池性能的影响,以期达到提高量子 点太阳电池转换效率的目的.理论模拟表明:在i层厚度取3000 nm时,优化后P(GaAs)型、N(ZnSe)型层 薄膜的最佳膜厚为1541 nm, 78 nm, 并在单一波长下太阳电池转换效率为20.1%;同时量子 点体积和温度对于量子点太阳电池I-V特性也会产生影响, 当量子点体积和温度逐渐增大时, 开路电压呈现减小趋势,使得转换效率降低.     

高Al组分AlGaN多量子阱结构材料发光机制探讨

紫外LED的发光功率和效率还远不能令人们满意,波长短于300 nm的深紫外LED的发光效率普遍较低。厘清高Al组分Al Ga N多量子阱结构的发光机制将有利于探索改善深紫外LED的发光效率的新途径、新方法。为此,本文通过金属有机气相外延技术外延生长了表面平整、界面清晰可辨且陡峭的高Al组分AlGa N多量子阱结构材料,并对其进行变温光致发光谱测试,结合数值计算,深入探讨了Al Ga N量子阱的发光机制。研究表明,量子阱中具有很强的局域化效应,其发光和局域激子的跳跃息息相关,而发光的猝灭则与局域激子的解局域以及位错引起的非辐射复合有关。     

Design and modeling of an efficient metamorphic dual-junction InGaP/GaAs solar cell

In this work the impact of variation in mole fraction of tunnel junction and doping concentration of top window layer are investigated on the photovoltaic performance of dual junction InGaP/GaAs solar cell on silicon substrate. How does the Si substrate help this structure to act as a low cost concentrator cell for terrestrial application is also discussed. The detailed analysis of the cell is carried out through the performance measurement such as external quantum efficiency, internal quantum efficiency, fill factor, open circuit voltage, short circuit current density, spectral density and reflectance. This simulation model provides efficiency of 30.40 % at AM1.5G spectrum under 1 sun. It provides a path to the researcher for the development of III–V multi junction solar cell at a low cost.