Publication date: 22nd July 2026
Wide band gap semiconductors absorb visible light but waste sub-band gap infrared photons. Likewise, near infrared band gap materials (like Si) use more of the solar spectrum, but waste higher-energy photons and produce low voltages in solar cells. An intriguing solution for harvesting IR photons, without compromising the voltage, is offered by intermediate-band solar cells. Here, an empty intermediate band is placed within the band gap of the semiconductor absorber to promote two-step photon absorption--from the valence to the intermediate band and from the intermediate to the conduction band--in addition to the band gap transition. Thus intermediate-band solar cells can produce high current density while maintaining a high voltage. However, current intermediate-band solar-cell designs suffer from a low intermediate-band density. I will present our work exploring a new design for intermediate-band solar cells, inspired by halide perovskites, that may offer new routes for increasing the intermediate band density and overall efficiency.
