Numerical Simulation of Performance in GaAs/InGaAs Quantum Well Intermediate-Band Bifacial Solar Cells Using Spectral Albedo

The development of solar cell technology has seen the emergence of bifacial photovoltaics, which can capture sunlight from both the front and back surfaces, potentially increasing efficiency compared to traditional cells. This study investigates the effects of incorporating intermediate bands, induced by the presence of quantum wells, into a bifacial GaAs-based cell structure with an embedded InGaAs semiconductor layer to enhance energy conversion. These intermediate bands, positioned between the conduction band and the valence band levels, improve the ability of the cell to absorb sunlight over a wide range of wavelengths. The role of spectral albedo, specifically AM1.5G, paving asphalt, and construction concrete, in improving the bifacial cell performance is also examined. Using the thickness of the GaInAs layer as a key parameter, theoretical frameworks and computational simulations are employed to enhance the efficiency of this quantum well intermediate band bifacial solar cell. For an indium concentration of y=0.30, the maximum efficiency achieved is 55.86% at L=4 nm with construction concrete albedo, surpassing the efficiencies reported in previous studies.