Photocapacitance study of type-II GaSb/GaAs quantum ring solar cells

In this study, the density of states associated with the localization of holes in GaSb/GaAs quantum rings are determined by the energy selective charging of the quantum ring distribution. The authors show, using conventional photocapacitance measurements, that the excess charge accumulated within the type-II nanostructures increases with increasing excitation energies for photon energies above 0.9 eV. Optical excitation between the localized hole states and the conduction band is therefore not limited to the Γ(k = 0) point, with pseudo-monochromatic light charging all states lying within the photon energy selected. The energy distribution of the quantum ring states could consequently be accurately related from the excitation dependence of the integrated photocapacitance. The resulting band of localized hole states is shown to be well described by a narrow distribution centered 407 meV above the GaAs valence band maximum

Type II GaSb/GaAs quantum rings with extended photoresponse for efficient solar cells

The introduction of GaSb quantum dots (QDs) within a GaAs single junction solar cell is attracting increasing interest as a means of absorbing long wavelength photons to extend the photoresponse and increase the short-circuit current. The band alignment in this system is type-II, such that holes are localized within the GaSb QDs but there is no electron confinement. Compared to InAs QDs this produces a red-shift of the photoresponse which could increase the short-circuit current and improve carrier extraction. GaSb nanostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) tend to preferentially form quantum rings (QRs) which are less strained and contain fewer defects than the GaSb QDs, which means that they are more suitable for dense stacking in the active region of a solar cell to reduce the accumulation of internal strain and enhance light absorption. Here, we report the growth and fabrication of GaAs based p-i-n solar cells containing ten layers of GaSb QRs. They show extended long wavelength photoresponse into the near-IR up to 1400 nm and enhanced short-circuit current compared to the GaAs control cell due to absorption of low energy photons. Although enhancement of the short-circuit current was observed, the thermionic emission of holes was found to be insufficient for ideal operation at room temperature

Open-circuit voltage increase of GaSb/GaAs quantum ring solar cells under high hydrostatic pressure

Hydrostatic pressure can be used as a powerful diagnostic tool to enable the study of lattice dynamics, defects, impurities and recombination processes in a variety of semiconductor materials and devices. Here we report on intermediate band GaAs solar cells containing GaSb quantum rings which exhibit a 15% increase in open-circuit voltage under application of 8 kbar hydrostatic pressure at room temperature. The pressure coefficients of the respective optical transitions for the GaSb quantum rings, the wetting layer and the GaAs bulk, were each measured to be ~10.5±0.5 meV/kbar. A comparison of the pressure induced and temperature induced bandgap changes highlights the significance of the thermal energy of carriers in intermediate band solar cells

Type II GaSb/GaAs quantum dot/ring stacks with extended photoresponse for efficient solar cells

We report on the fabrication of GaAs based p-i-n solar cells containing 5 and 10 layers of type II GaSb quantum rings grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Solar cells containing quantum rings show improved efficiency at longer wavelengths into the near-IR extending up to 1500 nm and show enhanced short-circuit current under 1 sun illumination compared to a GaAs control cell. A reduction in the open-circuit voltage is observed due to the build-up of internal strain. The MBE growth, formation and photoluminescence of single and stacked layers of GaSb/GaAs quantum rings are also presented. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Soluble plasma VE-cadherin concentrations are elevated in patients with STEC infection and haemolytic uraemic syndrome: a case-control study

Objectives: To investigate whether the adherens junction protein vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) is released during Shiga toxin 2 producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection with haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and thus could be used to assist diagnosis. Design: Using data from the large 2011 STEC outbreak in northern Europe, we determined VE-cadherin plasma concentrations in 356 patients distributed over three patient cohorts: patients with STEC infection accompanied by HUS (STEC-HUS), STEC patients without HUS (STEC) and control patients with diarrhoea but without STEC infection. We then looked for associations between VE-cadherin concentrations and disease severity defined by changes in lactate dehydrogenase, haemoglobin, creatinine, platelet count, haptoglobin and neurological symptoms. Setting: This study was conducted at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. Participants: 79 STEC-HUS patients, 77 STEC patients and 200 control patients were enrolled in the study. Results: We analysed 864 specimens (207 STEC, 449 STEC-HUS and 208 controls) in total. At admission, VE-cadherin concentration tended to be lower in STEC-HUS patients compared to other patients. However, HUS patients later showed an increase in VE-cadherin concentrations with prolonged elevation beyond remission. This pattern clearly differs from that observed in non-HUS patients. Conclusions: VE-cadherin concentrations are elevated in STEC-HUS patients and might be a biomarker reflecting endothelial damage in patients with HUS

Carrier extraction behaviour in type II GaSb/GaAs quantum ring solar cells

The introduction of quantum dot (QD) or quantum ring (QR) nanostructures into GaAs single-junction solar cells has shown enhanced photo-response above the GaAs absorption edge, because of sub-bandgap photon absorption. However, to further improve solar cell performance a better understanding of the mechanisms of photogenerated carrier extraction from QDs and QRs is needed. In this work we have used a direct excitation technique to study type II GaSb/GaAs quantum ring solar cells using a 1064 nm infrared laser, which enables us to excite electron-hole pairs directly within the GaSb QRs without exciting the GaAs host material. Temperature and laser intensity dependence of the current-voltage characteristics revealed that the thermionic emission process produced the dominant contribution to the photocurrent and accounts for 98.9% of total photocurrent at 0 V and 300 K. Although the tunnelling process gives only a low contribution to the photocurrent, an enhancement of the tunnelling current was clearly observed when an external electric field was applied

Optical and structural properties of InGaSb/GaAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We present the results of an investigation into the growth of InGaSb/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) by molecular beam epitaxy using migration-enhanced epitaxy. Surface atomic force microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy show that the QDs undergo a significant change in morphology upon capping with GaAs. A GaAs ‘cold capping’ technique was partly successful in preserving QD morphology during this process, but strong group V intermixing was still observed. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy reveals that the resulting nanostructures are small ‘core’ QDs surrounded by a highly intermixed disc. Temperature varying photoluminescence measurements indicate strong light emission from the QDs, with an emission wavelength of 1230 nm at room temperature. Nextnano 8x8 k.p calculations show good agreement with the PL results and indicate a low level of group-V intermixing in the core QD

Hole capture and emission dynamics of type-II GaSb/GaAs quantum ring solar cells

The capture cross-section, intersubband optical cross-section and non-radiative emission rates related to localized hole states are obtained for p-i-n solar cells containing GaSb/GaAs quantum rings embedded within the i-region of the device. The technique developed uses the intraband photoemission current to probe the charge state of the nanostructures during two-color excitation. Analysis of the excitation power dependence revealed a non-radiative hole capture lifetime of 12 ns under low excitation conditions, with high injection leading to the saturation of the hole occupancy within the quantum-rings. The decay characteristics of the optical hole emission current has also been exploited to determine the spectral and temperature dependence of the radiative and non-radiative hole escape mechanisms from the quantum-rings