An extensive study on the performance of a novel QDIBSC Material

The application of intermediate bands (IBs) in a barrier material with a significant bandgap is one potential technique under investigation for enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE). The performance of InAs
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P compound in the context of quantum dot intermediate band solar cells (QDIBSCs) has been investigated in this work. The study considers the influence of the intermediate band positions on the cell’s operation and focuses on identifying the maximum number of intermediate bands that can be accommodated into the proposed material systems and structure. In this regard, the Kronig-Penney model is applied to solve the time-independent Schrödinger wave equation for various quantum dot sizes and interdot distances for the proposed cell. Moreover, the possible locations of the intermediate bands are determine considering the 3D nature of QDs which has been ignored by most researchers. This approach open the door of the optimal width and position of the intermediate band, shedding new light on the possibilities for improving solar cell’s PCE. In addition to focusing on identifying the properties of the cell through numerical analysis, this study offers significant insights into maximizing the performance of quantum dot intermediate band solar cells (QDIBSCs) and explored the effect of dot spacing and QD size on the cell’s performance. It was found that for an equal interdot distance and a QD size of 2.2 nm with one intermediate band, the highest PCE was attained at about 38.91%. With two intermediate bands, an interdot spacing of 1.5 nm, and a QD size of 5.8 nm, the proposed cell also managed to reach a maximum efficiency of 52.89%. Overall, this work offers critical perceptions into enhancing the performance of the proposed cell. The final comments can be done once the proposed cell can be fabricated.