Improving photovoltaics by adding extra terminals to extract hot carriers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Bertin-Johannet, Bruno, Thuégaz, Thibaut, Splettstoesser, Janine, Whitney, Robert S.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Bertin-Johannet, Bruno
Thuégaz, Thibaut
Splettstoesser, Janine
Whitney, Robert S.
author_facet Bertin-Johannet, Bruno
Thuégaz, Thibaut
Splettstoesser, Janine
Whitney, Robert S.
contents Photovoltaic cells usually have two terminals, one collecting electrons and the other collecting holes. Can more terminals improve such solar cells? Energy-filtering terminals could collect "hot" carriers (electrons or holes not yet relaxed to the band edge), with other terminals for low-energy carriers. For collection faster than carrier-phonon relaxation, we predict four-terminal cells with higher power output than optimal two-terminal cells -- more than 40% higher for fast carrier collection. Similar effects will occur in multi-terminal thermoelectrics exploiting non-equilibrium distributions
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_13279
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Improving photovoltaics by adding extra terminals to extract hot carriers
Bertin-Johannet, Bruno
Thuégaz, Thibaut
Splettstoesser, Janine
Whitney, Robert S.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Photovoltaic cells usually have two terminals, one collecting electrons and the other collecting holes. Can more terminals improve such solar cells? Energy-filtering terminals could collect "hot" carriers (electrons or holes not yet relaxed to the band edge), with other terminals for low-energy carriers. For collection faster than carrier-phonon relaxation, we predict four-terminal cells with higher power output than optimal two-terminal cells -- more than 40% higher for fast carrier collection. Similar effects will occur in multi-terminal thermoelectrics exploiting non-equilibrium distributions
title Improving photovoltaics by adding extra terminals to extract hot carriers
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.13279