Tuning Intermediate Band Solar Cell Efficiency
The Interplay of Electric Fields, Composition, Impurities, and Confinement
Hassan Abboudi (Dhar El Mehrez University)
Redouane En-nadir (Hassan II University of Casablanca)
M. A. Basyooni-M.Kabatas (TU Delft - Dynamics of Micro and Nano Systems)
Ayoub El Baraka (Dhar El Mehrez University)
Ilyass Ez-zejjari (Hassan II University of Casablanca)
Haddou El Ghazi (Dhar El Mehrez University, Hassan II University of Casablanca)
Ahmed Sali (Dhar El Mehrez University)
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Abstract
In this study, we investigated the influence of structural parameters, including active region dimensions, electric field intensity, In-composition, impurity position, and potential profiles, on the energy levels, sub-gap transitions, and photovoltaic characteristics of a p-GaN/i-(In, Ga)N/GaN-n (p-QW-n) structure. The finite element method (FEM) has been used to solve numerically the Schrödinger equation. We found that particle and sub-gap energy levels are susceptible to well width, electric field, and impurity position. Particle energy decreases with increasing well size and electric field intensity, while impurity position affects energy based on proximity to the well center. Potential profile shapes, such as rectangular (RQW) and parabolic (PQW), also play a significant role, with PQW profiles providing stronger particle confinement. IB width increases with electric field intensity and saturates at higher In-content. Voc increases with field strength but decreases with In-content, and the parabolic profile yields higher efficiency than the rectangular one. Photovoltaic efficiency is improved with an appropriately oriented electric field and decreases with higher In-content and field intensity. These findings highlight the critical role of structural parameters in optimizing QW-IBSC performance.