Quantum Well Solar Cells May Revolutionize Solar Technology
Single belonging to each multiple things such possesses entered per date vocabulary within recent years is each prefix nano-. A term refers to the fraction 1 in 1 billion, thus nanometer refers in order to objects 1 billionth out of single meter within length (about a size of 10 atoms) along with nanotechnology refers for devices whatever incorporate structures belonging to said size. Photovoltaics, a conversion of sunlight internal electricity, is one made from a lot of areas among whatever nanotechnology is being utilized.
Keen in order to make photovoltaic devices increasingly efficient, scientists and engineers are investigating novel and exotic nanostructured materials amid order up to make solar cells ever further cost effective. Individual so type of device is a quantum satisfactorily solar cell. Aforementioned type made from solar cell uses nanometer-width layers (or quantum wells) comprised belonging to diverse photovoltaic materials. Via carefully controlling whichever photovoltaic materials are used also certain widths of any quantum wells, any absorptive properties from a solar cell be able to exist tailored up to make additional efficient utilize belonging to each incident sunlight.
Above materials are crystalline among structure, meaning whatever they are comprised of ordered, repeating sequences made from atoms (often referred up to since some crystal lattice) as well as are commonly characterized near to a distance between atoms (or lattice constant). For produce solar cells out of maximum possible efficiency both out of the photovoltaic materials used ought to seem built in order to conform to the equivalent lattice constant, single challenge whatever possesses occurred any subject of intensive research beside each Quantum Photovoltaics Group amid a Physics Department made from Imperial College London. The result belonging to here job is a strain-balanced solar cell, in whichever layers of photovoltaic material at a lower level compressive strain (atoms forced closer together compared with within certain original crystal structure) are alternated with layers belonging to material that are sub- tensile strain (atoms pulled further apart compared with amid the original structure) – effectively giving each any layers in the solar cell each identical lattice constant.
Among 2007 any spin-out company QuantaSol was formed in order to bring above high efficiency devices into commercial production. Among 2009 QuantaSol reported single 28.3% efficient quantum well solar cell; some earth record for solar cells of for it class. Having achieved here milestone, the company is undergoing rapid growth and product launch is expected through the stop from 2010.