Study of silicon quantum dots in a SiO2 matrix for energy selective contacts applications

Structures consisting of a single layer of silicon quantum dots in silicon dioxide matrix represent a promising approach to implement energy selective contacts for hot carrier solar cells. The opening of the band gap and the resonant tunneling effect allow extraction of carriers within a narrow tunable range of energies. In this work, several silicon quantum dots double barrier structures have been realized using RF-magnetron co-sputtering. Quantum confinement properties of silicon quantum dots and the influence of the annealing process duration on crystallization have been investigated using photoluminescence measurements. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.