InAs/AlAs_0.84Sb_0.14 quantum wells (QWs) are investigated as a potential system for applications in hot carrier solar cells. Temperature and power dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurements show evidence of carrier localization. Evidence of for the presence of hot carriers is provided through the broadening of the high-energy tail in PL with increasing excitation power. Moreover, with increasing temperature, the stability of the hot carriers appears to improve despite the increased contribution of phonons at elevated temperatures. This is attributed to the reduced radiative recombination rate driven by the type-II band offset inherent in this system; which is suggested to result in inhibited hot carrier relaxation through electron pile-up in the conduction band

Date Published: 16 March 2015
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9358, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices IV, 93580Z (16 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2079591

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9358:
Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices IV
Alexandre Freundlich; Jean-François Guillemoles; Masakazu Sugiyama, Editor(s)