A metallic hot-carrier photovoltaic device

Journal article

Hot carrier solar cells overcome the fundamental limitations of conventional devices where charge carriers are photogenerated over a broad energy spectrum but rapidly lose energy to the lattice and are extracted at the lowest energy of the system. In a hot carrier photovoltaic cell, carriers are extracted at higher energies than the absorption threshold, and extraction proceeds sufficiently quickly to avoid dissipative energy loss. We demonstrate a new hot carrier photovoltaic device where a broad spectrum of light is absorbed in metallic layers tens of nanometers thick. Using a semiconductor quantum well resonant tunnel structure we demonstrate energy selective hot carrier extraction from the metal film and show a unique hot carrier signature in the device IV characteristics. Using a multiple beam experiment, we further prove that these carriers arise from a hot electron population rather than via internal photoemission; a necessary requirement for high efficiency photovoltaic operation.

Authors: Dimmock, J; Kauer, M; Wu, J; Huiyun, L; Stavrinou, P

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Journal: Semiconductor Science and Technology
• Volume: 34
• Issue: 6
• Article number: 064001
• Publication date: 2019-05-01
• Acceptance date: 2019-03-21
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6641/ab1222
• EISSN: 1361-6641
• ISSN: 0268-1242
• Language: English
• Keywords: photovoltaic; solar cell; FFR; hot carrier; metal absorption