Simulation of nonequilibrium electron and phonon dynamics in advanced concept photovoltaic devices (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

We use ensemble Monte Carlo simulation of electrons and holes to investigate ultrafast carrier processes related to hot carrier capture and multi-exciton generation relevant for advanced photovoltaic devices. The particle based simulation includes electron-phonon scattering in quantum wells and quantum wires, intercarrier scattering including impact ionization, and nonequilibrium phonon effects. For quantum well devices, we elucidate how nonequilibrium phonons and real/k-space transfer contribute to the slower energy relaxation rates observed in quantum well structures. For nanowires, we show that energy relaxation is slowed due to bandstructure effects and reduced dimensionality, and that impact ionization is enhanced above the threshold, leading to strong carrier multiplication.