Enhanced carrier extraction from Ge quantum dots in Si solar cells under strong photoexcitation

We report studies of the carrier extraction mechanism in Si solar cells with Ge quantum dots (QDs), which enable the optical absorption of photons with energies below the band gap of the host. Photocurrent measurements revealed that the photocurrent in the QD solar cells increased superlinearly with increasing excitation intensity under strong photoexcitation, which differed greatly from the behavior of Si solar cells without Ge QDs. This nonlinear photocurrent generation indicates that the carrier extraction efficiency from QDs is enhanced under strong photoexcitation by nonlinear carrier extraction processes, such as two-step photon absorption and hot carrier generation via Auger recombination.