Open-circuit voltage characteristics of InP-based quantum well solar cells

Abstract

Open-circuit voltage characteristics of InP-based multiple-quantum-well (MQW) solar cells are studied experimentally and theoretically. Experimental results are presented for spectral response and terminal characteristics of In0.53Ga0.47As/InP MQW cells and compared with results from a corresponding bulk p-i-n control cell. Open-circuit voltages measured for these cells, and for other InGaAs/InP and InAsP/InP MQW cells reported in the literature, are then analyzed using a simple ideal theory for MQW cells which attributes open-circuit voltage reductions to increased radiative recombination in the quantum wells. The large (0.19-0.33 V) measured open-circuit voltage reductions which accompany introduction of the quantum wells are shown to agree with predictions from the ideal theory to within ∼0.03 V on average. Finally, implications of this work for the design of efficient InP-based MQW solar cells are discussed. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.