The ultimate goal of PhANTOM is to prove the feasibility of intermediate-band solar cells with efficiency surpassing the theoretical limit of nowadays commercial single-junction devices, by providing for the first time a full practical solution, from materials to device design.
New Intermediate-Band Material Classes
The first objective is to identify new classes of materials that exhibit great promise to implement the intermediate-band paradigm. First, an ad-hoc simulation framework for the identification of these materials will be developed. Then, it will be applied to carry out an extensive materials search.
Highly-Optimized Intermediate-Band Materials
The second objective is to obtain materials with opto-electronic properties extremely close to the theoretical intermediate-band targets. Starting from the previously identified material classes, the interplay between intermediate-band properties and atomic structure will be thoroughly characterized. Then, the acquired knowledge will be used to heavily optimize the material properties of interest.
High-Performance Intermediate-Band Solar Cells
The last objective is the realization of a practical intermediate-band solar cell design capable of outperforming state-of-the-art commercial single-junction solar cells. The previously optimized materials will be used as sunlight absorbers. Rigorous device simulations will be carried out to optimize the device geometry until a power conversion efficiency of >35% is achieved, de facto exceeding the theoretical upper limit of Shockley-Queisser solar cells.
