Intermediate-Band Solar Cells Based on InAs/GaAs Quantum Dots

We report the fabrication of intermediate-band solar cells (IBSCs) based on quantum dots (QDs), which consists of a standard P-I-N structure with multilayer stacks of InAs/GaAs QDs in the I-layer. Compared with conventional GaAs single-junction solar cells, the IBSCs based on InAs/GaAs QDs show a broader photo-response spectrum (> 1330 nm), a higher short-circle current (about 53% increase) and a stronger radiation hardness. The results have important applications for realizing high efficiency solar cells with stronger radiation hardness.