Electrical characteristics and hot carrier effects in quantum well solar cells
Résumé
We report on the opto-electrical characterization of quantum-well solar cells designed for generation of hot carriers. Short-circuit current is proportional to laser power in the entire range. Population density, temperature and quasi-Fermi level splitting of photo-generated confined carriers are investigated by fitting the full luminescence spectra using generalized Planck's law. The energy-dependent absorptivity is identified to obtain good fit accuracy and takes into account the absorption of excitons and free carriers in the quantum well. Furthermore, electrical injection and extraction across the barriers modify the temperature of the quantum well carrier population linearly, hinting at the role of barriers as semi-selective high-energy contact.