Potential of Si1?xGex alloys for Auger generation in highly efficient solar cells

Recent investigation on Si solar cells demonstrated the utility of Auger generation for the creation of more than merely one electron/hole pair per absorbed photon. The semiconductor Si requires a minimum photon energy of about 3.4 eV for this internal carrier multiplication. The current of a Si cell is therefore not significantly increased by Auger generation when the cell is illuminated by an air mass 1.5 spectrum, which contains only few photons with energies above 3.4 eV. Use of Si_1–x Ge _x alloys promises a lower onset energy. Unfortunately, incomplete data on band structures ofrandom Si_1–x Ge _x alloys preclude a detailed quantitative discussion of the full potential for these materials. Nevertheless, (i) analogies to our own quantum efficiency data from pure Si, (ii) the calculated band structure of the hypothetical,ordered zincblende type Si_0.5Ge_0.5 crystal, and (iii) optical data for Si_1–x Ge _x alloys indicate an optimum Ge content ofx=0.6 tox=0.7.