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Photovoltaic materials are recognized for their potential as sustainable energy sources that enable the conversion between light and electrical energy. However, solar cells have been unable to surpass the theoretical limit of 32%, known as…
We propose type-II GaAsSb/GaAsN superlattices (SLs) lattice-matched to GaAs as a novel material for the 1 eV sub-cells present in highly efficient GaAs/Ge-based multi-junction solar cells. We demonstrate that, among other benefits, the…
The theoretical maximum efficiency of a solar cell is typically characterized by a detailed balance of optical absorption and emission for a semiconductor in the limit of unity radiative efficiency and an ideal step-function response for…
We present a multiscale approach for modeling an intermediate-band solar cell based on a GaAs-GaAlAs quantum dot superlattice of cubic symmetry. Our framework combines high-accuracy theoretical calculations of the superlattice band…
A coupled optoelectronic model was implemented along with the differential evolution algorithm to assess the efficacy of grading the bandgap of the CZTSSe layer for enhancing the power conversion efficiency of thin-film CZTSSe solar cells.…
Power-conversion efficiency is a critical factor for the wider adoption of solar-cell modules. Thin-film solar cells are cheap and easy to manufacture, but their efficiencies are low compared to crystalline-silicon solar cells and need to…
Nano-scaled metallic or dielectric structures may provide various ways to trap light into thin-film solar cells for improving the conversion efficiency. In most schemes, the textured active layers are involved into light trapping structures…
We discuss regular particle arrays as nanostructured front layers for 3rd generation photovoltaic devices. A rigorous plane-wave method is used to investigate multi-type particle layers combining different radii and configurations. The…
Recently, we have suggested dielectric metamaterial composed as an array of submicron dielectric spheres located on top of an amorphous thin-film solar cell. We have theoretically shown that this metamaterial can decrease the reflection and…
Multi-junction photovoltaics provide a logical method of increasing the utilization of solar power for a given area. However, their current design and fabrication methods invoke numerous material and cost complexities that limit their…
Organic solar cells (OSCs) are uniquely suited for semitransparent applications due to their adjustable absorption spectrum. However, most high-performance semitransparent cells reported to date are based on materials that have shown high…
We calculate the band structure of a two-dimensional GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice and estimate the ultimate efficiency of solar cells using this type of structure for solar energy conversion. The superlattice under consideration consists of…
The power conversion efficiency of an ultrathin CIGS solar cell was maximized using a coupled optoelectronic model to determine the optimal bandgap grading of the nonhomogeneous CIGS layer in the thickness direction. The bandgap of the CIGS…
We employ a detailed balance approach to model a single-junction solar cell with a realistic narrow-band, non-unity-quantum-yield upconverter. As upconverter bandwidths are increased from 0 to 0.5 eV, maximum cell efficiencies increase from…
We present a general framework for the design of thin-film photovoltaics based on a partially-disordered photonic crystal that has both enhanced absorption for light trapping and reduced sensitivity to the angle and polarization of incident…
Recently, significant progress in the development of III-V/Si dual-junction solar cells has been achieved. This not only boosts the efficiency of Si-based photovoltaic solar cells, but also offers the possibility of highly efficient green…
Multijunction solar cell design is guided by both the theoretical optimal bandgap combination as well as the realistic limitations to materials with these bandgaps. For instance, triple-junction III-V multijunction solar cells commonly use…
Antireflection coatings are an interesting challenge for multijunction solar cells due to their broadband spectrum absorption and the requirement of current matching of each subcell. A new design for multijunction solar cell antireflection…
Solar cells based on a light absorbing layer of the organometal halide perovskite CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_3$ have recently reached 15% conversion efficiency, though how these materials work remains largely unknown. We analyse the electronic…
The improvement of light absorption in Si/BeSe$_{0.41}$Te$_{0.59}$ heterostructures for solar cell applications is studied theoretically. First, using simple approaches we found that light absorption could be improved in a single…