Carrier multiplication applicability for photovoltaics; a critical analysis

The applicability of carrier multiplication (CM) in photovoltaics (PVs) is analysed based on the experimentally observed behaviour. In the analysis, detailed balance is used to estimate the upper efficiency limit for PVs including empirically approximated CM effects. It is found that practically CM enhancement is very insignificant using homogeneous quantum dots. Considering this besides the practical challenges to realize CM using such structures, its applicability to exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit is questionable and not practical.