Search

We develop a comprehensive rate equations model for semiconductor quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs). The model is based on the continuity equations with a proper account for quantum dots (QDs). A general analytical expression for the total current density is obtained, and the current-voltage characteristic is studied for several specific situations. The degradation in the open circuit voltage of the QDSC is shown to be due to strong spontaneous radiative recombination in QDs. Due to small absorption coefficient of the QD ensemble, the improvement in the short circuit current density is negligible if only one QD layer is used. If spontaneous radiative recombination would be suppressed in QDs, a QDSC with multiple QD layers would have significantly higher short circuit current density and power conversion efficiency than its conventional counterpart. The effects of photoexcitation of carriers from discrete-energy states in QDs to continuum-energy states are discussed. An extended model, which includes excited states in QDs, is also introduced.

A theory of operating characteristics of quantum dot(QD) lasers is discussed in the presence of excited states in QDs. We consider three possible situations for lasing: (i) ground-state lasing only; (ii) ground-state lasing at first and then the onset of also excited-state lasing with increasing injection current; (iii) excited-state lasing only. The following characteristics are studied: occupancies of the ground-state and excited-state in QDs, free carrier density in the optical confinement layer, threshold currents for ground- and excited-state lasing, densities of photons emitted via ground- and excited-state stimulated transitions, output power, internal and external differential quantum efficiencies. Under the conditions of ground-state lasing only, the output power saturates with injection current. Under the conditions of both ground- and excited-state lasing, the output power of ground-state lasing remains pinned above the excited-state lasing threshold while the power of excited-state lasing increases. There is a kink in the light-current curve at the excited-state lasing threshold. The case of excited-state lasing only is qualitatively similar to that for single-state QDs—the role of ground-state transitions is simply reduced to increasing the threshold current.

Gain and threshold current of a self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) laser are simulated. A small overlap integral of the electron and hole wave functions in pyramidal QDs is shown to be a possible reason for the low single-layer modal gain, which limits lasing via the ground-state transition at short (under a millimeter) cavity lengths.

We calculate the light-current characteristic (LCC) of a quantum dot (QD) laser under the conditions of both direct and indirect capture of carriers from the optical confinement layer into the lasing ground state in QDs. We show that direct capture is a dominant process determining the ground-state LCC. Only when direct capture is slow, the role of indirect capture (capture into the QD excited state and subsequent intradot relaxation to the ground state) becomes important.

A comprehensive analytical model for the operating characteristics of semiconductor lasers with a low-dimensional active region is developed. Particular emphasis is given to the effect of capture delay of both electrons and holes from a bulk optical confinement region into a quantum-confined active region and an extended set of rate equations is used. We derive a closed-form expression for the internal quantum efficiency as an explicit function of the injection current and parameters of a laser structure. Due to either electron or hole capture delay, the internal efficiency decreases with increasing injection current above the lasing threshold thus causing sublinearity of the light-current characteristic of a laser.

Limitations are discussed on the use in quantum dot (QD) lasers of the conventional method of determining internal loss coefficient alpha(int) and internal quantum efficiency eta(int) from a measured plot of the reciprocal slope efficiency versus the cavity length L. The limitations are imposed by the L-dependence of alpha(int) and eta(int) themselves. The effect of internal loss is quantitatively analyzed, which originates from the dependence of alpha(int) on the carrier density, with the latter being L-dependent. In short cavities, a plot of the reciprocal slope efficiency versus L can significantly deviate from a straight line, thus limiting the practicality of the standard procedure. For L longer than several hundred mu m, the limitations are strong in a single-QD-layer laser and moderate in a multiple-QD-layer laser. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics. United States. Army Research Office - Grant No. W911-NF-05-1-0308