Effect of strain compensation on quantum dot enhanced GaAs solar cells

GaP tensile strain compensation ( SC ) layers were introduced into GaAs solar cells enhanced with a five layer stack of InAs quantum dots (QDs ). One sun air mass zero illuminated current- voltage curves show that SC results in improved conversion efficiency and reduced dark current. The strain compensated QD solar cell shows a slight increase in short circuit current compared to a baseline GaAs cell due to sub- GaAs bandgap absorption by the InAs QD. Quantum efficiency and electroluminescence were also measured and provide further insight to the improvements due to SC. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.