Intermediate band solar cell based on transition metal substituted Indium thiospinels

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Roland Scheer; Dr. Holger von Wenckstern
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 411083473

The project investigates the wide band gap thiospinel semiconductor In2S23 with electronic intermediate band for optical multi phonon excitation of charge carriers. It aims at forming working photovoltaic devices using semiconductor heterostructures out of this new material. By doping In2S3 with transition metal atoms M (M = Ti, V, Nb) it shall be demonstrated that by defect band absorption a significant amounts of photon with energies below the fundamental band gap of In2S3 can generate free charge carriers in the conduction and valence bands. Furthermore it shall be demonstrated that the defect band, according to the theory of delocalised electronic states, does not lead to increased recombination of charge carriers in the obtained material In2S3:M. By combination of transparent contact layers a suitable potential profile shall be induced within In2S3:M giving rise to efficient charge separation.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants