Auger recombination is an important mechanism that can limit the performance of solar cells. Ryan Gresback, working with a group at Los Alamos National Lab, compared Auger recombination rates of direct and indirect band gap semiconductor quantum dots. While in bulk semiconductors Auger recombination rates differ by 4-5 orders of magnitude, a striking convergence of Auger recombination rates in quantum dots of both direct (InAs, PbSe, CdSe) and indirect band gap (Ge) semiconductors was found.
