https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-03736-5
Regular Article
Modeling and simulation of the influence of quantum dots density on solar cell properties
1
Laboratory of Solid Physics (LPS), Faculty of Science, Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, B.P. 1796, Fez, Morocco
2
Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Georesources and Renewable Energies (SIGER), Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, 2202, Fez, Morocco
3
Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140, Sivas, Turkey
4
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140, Sivas, Turkey
Received:
19
November
2022
Accepted:
22
January
2023
Published online:
12
February
2023
Based on the finite element method using the FEniCS computing platform and python programming, we solve the Schrödinger equation within the effective mass approximation. Its solution gives us the necessary energy for an electron to transit from an intermediate band to a conduction band, as well as the distribution of probability density within the system. In this work, we have investigated the efficiency of the InAs/GaAs pyramid quantum dot intermediate band solar cell (PQD-IBSC) as a function of the structure parameters and quantum dot density. The simulation results indicated the strong dependence of the efficiency of PQD-IBSC on the confinement effect, quantum dot number or quantum dot density and coupling strength. The conversion efficiency grows from 14.4587% to the optimal efficiency 17.8807%. Generally, the best efficiency is obtained for small barrier width, large quantum dot height and great quantum dot density.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.