title: Production of photocurrent due to intermediate-to-conduction-band transitions: a demonstration of a key operating principle of the intermediate-band solar cell.
abstract: We present intermediate-band solar cells manufactured using quantum dot technology that show for the first time the production of photocurrent when two sub-band-gap energy photons are absorbed simultaneously. One photon produces an optical transition from the intermediate-band to the conduction band while the second pumps an electron from the valence band to the intermediate-band. The detection of this two-photon absorption process is essential to verify the principles of operation of the intermediate-band solar cell. The phenomenon is the cornerstone physical principle that ultimately allows the production of photocurrent in a solar cell by below band gap photon absorption, without degradation of its output voltage.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E.T.S.I.Telecomunicación, Ciudad Universitaria s/n Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martí
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Antolín
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cánovas
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Linares
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luque