(Sr,Ba)(Si,Ge){sub 2} for thin-film solar-cell applications: First-principles study
- Environmental Remediation Materials Unit, National Institute for Materials Science, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan)
- Superconducting Properties Unit, National Institute for Materials Science, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan)
In order to meet the increasing demand for electric power generation from solar energy conversion, the development of efficient light absorber materials has been awaited. To this end, the electronic and optical properties of advanced alkaline-earth-metals disilicides and digermanides (SrSi{sub 2}, BaSi{sub 2}, SrGe{sub 2}, and BaGe{sub 2}) are studied by means of the density functional theory using HSE06 exchange-correlation energy functional. Our calculations show that all these orthorhombic structured compounds have fundamental indirect band gaps in the range E{sub g} ≈ 0.89–1.25 eV, which is suitable for solar cell applications. The estimated lattice parameters and band gaps are in good agreement with experiments. Our calculations show that the electronic band structures of all four compounds are very similar except in the vicinity of the Γ-point. The valence band of these compounds is made up by Si(Ge)-p states, whereas the conduction band is composed of Sr(Ba)-d states. Their band alignments are carefully determined by estimating the work function of each compound using slab model. The optical properties are discussed in terms of the complex dielectric function ε(ω) = ε{sub 1}(ω) + iε{sub 2}(ω). The static and high-frequency dielectric constants are calculated, taking into account the ionic contribution. The absorption coefficient α(ω) demonstrates that a low energy dispersion of the conduction band, which results in a flat conduction band minimum, leads to large optical activity in these compounds. Therefore, alkaline-earth-metals disilicides and digermanides possess great potential as light absorbers for applications in thin-film solar cell technologies.
- OSTI ID:
- 22304279
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 20; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ABSORPTION
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
DENSITY FUNCTIONAL METHOD
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRON CORRELATION
GERMANIUM COMPOUNDS
LATTICE PARAMETERS
OPTICAL ACTIVITY
ORTHORHOMBIC LATTICES
PERMITTIVITY
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
STRONTIUM COMPOUNDS
THIN FILMS
VISIBLE RADIATION
WORK FUNCTIONS