Abstract: A design of a quantum well region that allows faster and more efficient carrier collection in quantum well solar cells. It is shown that for a quantum well material system displaying a negligible valence band offset, the conduction band confinement energies and barrier thicknesses can be designed to favor a sequential thermionic promotion and resonant tunneling of electrons to the conduction band continuum resulting in faster carrier collection rates than for a conventional design. An evaluation of the proposed design in the context of devices incorporating GaAs/GaAsN quantum wells shows a collection of all photo-generated carriers within several to tenths of ps (10?12 s) from deep quantum wells rather than several ns, as it is the case for conventional designs. The incorporation of the proposed design in single and multijunction solar cells is evaluated with efficiency enhancements.

Abstract: High performance photovoltaic devices are provided. Certain embodiments relate to the use of Boron-Nitride (BN) thin films as anti-reflection coating (ARC) material on Si and GaAs solar cells. A low and wide reflectance window covering a large energy range of the solar spectrum is available. For a large part of the useful solar spectrum, the index of refraction of the grown BN thin films remains constant at about 2.8. In another embodiment, a BN ARC is applied directly on ordinary window glass providing the device's mechanical strength.

Abstract: High performance photovoltaic devices are provided. Certain embodiments relate to the use of Boron-Nitride (BN) thin films as anti-reflection coating (ARC) material on Si and GaAs solar cells. A low and wide reflectance window covering a large energy range of the solar spectrum is available. For a large part of the useful solar spectrum, the index of refraction of the grown BN thin films remains constant at about 2.8. In another embodiment, a BN ARC is applied directly on ordinary window glass providing the device's mechanical strength.

Abstract: High performance photovoltaic devices are provided. Certain embodiments relate to the use of Boron-Nitride (BN) thin films as anti-reflection coating (ARC) material on Si and GaAs solar cells. A low and wide reflectance window covering a large energy range of the solar spectrum is available. For a large part of the useful solar spectrum, the index of refraction of the grown BN thin films remains constant at about 2.8. In another embodiment, a BN ARC is applied directly on ordinary window glass providing the device's mechanical strength.

Abstract: A design of a quantum well region that allows faster and more efficient carrier collection in quantum well solar cells. It is shown that for a quantum well material system displaying a negligible valence band offset, the conduction band confinement energies and barrier thicknesses can be designed to favor a sequential thermionic promotion and resonant tunneling of electrons to the conduction band continuum resulting in faster carrier collection rates than for a conventional design. An evaluation of the proposed design in the context of devices incorporating GaAs/GaAsN quantum wells shows a collection of all photo-generated carriers within several to tenths of ps (10?12 s) from deep quantum wells rather than several ns, as it is the case for conventional designs. The incorporation of the proposed design in single and multijunction solar cells is evaluated with efficiency enhancements.

Abstract: Multi-junction solar cell devices which incorporate dilute nitrides to include a sub-cell in the 1 eV range in a conventional design for a solar cell. Sub-cells may be inserted within the intrinsic region of a conventional GaAs p-i-n solar cell either as a 3rd junction (1 eV) in a (Al)InGaP (1.9 eV)/GaAs(1.42 eV)/MQW(1 eV)/Ge(0.66 eV) quadruple junction device or as a triple junction configuration with a 1.1 eV MQW between GaInP (1.8 eV) and Ge(0.66 eV).