Berlin 2015 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 52: Focus Session: Nanophotonic Concepts and Materials for Energy Harvesting - Plasmonics, Transformation Optics, Upconversion, and beyond

O 52.2: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 11:30–12:00, EW 201

Nanostructures and materials for intermediate band solar cells — •Antonio Martí — Instituto de Energía Solar, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Intermediate band solar cells (IBSCs) seek for materials that can harvest photons with energy lower than the semiconductor bandgap without degrading the output voltage of the cell. One of these material systems relies on the use of quantum dots (QDs). Under this approach, photons are harvested thanks to the energy states of the electrons confined in the quantum dots. In this contribution we review the theory that sustains the use of QDs for IBSC applications, the design constrains of these kind of solar cells, its limitations and challenges as well as the most recent experimental results. These experimental results refer to the empirical demonstration of the use of two below bandgap energy photons to generate an electron-hole pair and the preservation of the output voltage of the cell.