Concentration effects on the efficiency, thickness and J-V characteristics of the intermediate band solar cells

The J-V characteristics and efficiency as a function of active region thickness of the p-i-n intermediate band solar cells have been calculated. We compared the maximum efficiency point of three different cells made of well-known materials. Each cell includes a different size of quantum dot from other cells in the i-region which causes a different intermediate band position in the bandgap of the host semiconductor. In addition, it is illustrated that the maximum efficiency point increases with increasing the incident light concentration in the radiative limit. This article considered that using light concentrators can be useful to enhance the efficiency of the solar cell with respect to manufacturing and cost improvements. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.