Radiation degradation characteristics of component subcells in inverted metamorphic triple‐junction solar cells irradiated with electrons and protons

The radiation response of In_0.5Ga_0.5P, GaAs, In_0.2Ga_0.8As, and In_0.3Ga_0.7As single‐junction solar cells, whose materials are also used as component subcells of inverted metamorphic triple‐junction (IMM3J) solar cells, was investigated. All four types of cells were prepared using a simple device layout and irradiated with high‐energy electrons and protons. The essential solar cell characteristics, namely, light‐illuminated current–voltage (LIV), dark current–voltage (DIV), external quantum efficiency (EQE), and two‐dimensional photoluminescence (2D‐PL) imaging were obtained before and after irradiation, and the corresponding changes due to the irradiations were compared and analyzed. The degradation of the cell output parameters by electrons and protons were plotted as a function of the displacement damage dose. It was found that the radiation resistance of the two InGaAs cells is approximately equivalent to that of the InGaP and GaAs cells from the materials standpoint, which is a result of different initial material qualities. However, the InGaAs cells show relatively low radiation resistance to electrons especially for the short‐circuit current (I sc). By comparing the degradation of I sc and EQE, data, It was confirmed that the greater decrease of minority‐carrier diffusion length in InGaAs compared with InGaP and GaAs causes severe degradation in the photo‐generation current of the InGaAs bottom subcells in IMM3J structures. Additionally, it was found that the InGaP and two InGaAs cells exhibited equivalent radiation resistance of V oc, but radiation response mechanisms of V oc are thought to be different. Further analytical studies are necessary to interpret the observed radiation response of the cells. © 2016 The Authors. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

InGaP//GaAs//c‐Si 3‐junction solar cells employing spectrum‐splitting system

In this work, we practically demonstrated spectrum‐splitting approach for advances in efficiency of photovoltaic cells. Firstly, a‐Si:H//c‐Si 2‐junction configuration was designed, which exhibited 24.4% efficiency with the spectrum splitting at 620 nm. Then, we improved the top cell property by employing InGaP cells instead of the a‐Si:H, resulting in an achievement of efficiency about 28.8%. In addition, we constructed 3‐junction spectrum‐splitting system with two optical splitters, and GaAs solar cells as middle cell. This InGaP//GaAs//c‐Si architecture was found to deliver 30.9% conversion efficiency. Our splitting system includes convex lenses for light concentration about 10 suns, which provided concentrated efficiency exceeding 33.0%. These results suggest that our demonstration of 3‐junction spectrum‐splitting approach can be a promising candidate for highly efficient photovoltaic technologies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance comparison of AlGaAs,GaAs and InGaP tunnel junctions for concentrated multijunction solar cells

Four tunnel junction (TJ) designs for multijunction (MJ) solar cells under high concentration are studied to determine the peak tunnelling current and resistance change as a function of the doping concentration. These four TJ designs are: AlGaAs/AlGaAs, GaAs/GaAs, AlGaAs/InGaP and AlGaAs/GaAs. Time‐dependent and time‐average methods are used to experimentally characterize the entire current–voltage profile of TJ mesa structures. Experimentally calibrated numerical models are used to determine the minimum doping concentration required for each TJ design to operate within a MJ solar cell up to 2000‐suns concentration. The AlGaAs/GaAs TJ design is found to require the least doping concentration to reach a resistance of <10⁻⁴ Ω cm² followed by the GaAs/GaAs TJ and finally the AlGaAs/AlGaAs TJ. The AlGaAs/InGaP TJ is only able to obtain resistances of ≥5 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm² within the range of doping concentrations studied. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

InGaP/GaAs‐based multijunction solar cells

The conversion efficiency of InGaP/(In)GaAs/Ge ‐based multijunction solar cells has been improved up to 29–30% (AM0) and 31–32% (AM1·5G) by technologies, such as double‐hetero wide band‐gap tunnel junctions, combination with Ge bottom cell with the InGaP first hetero‐growth layer, and precise lattice‐matching to Ge substrate by adding 1% indium to the conventional GaAs lattice‐match structure. Employing a 1·95 eV AlInGaP top cell should improve efficiency further. For space use, radiation resistance has been improved by technologies such as introducing of an electric field in the base layer of the lowest‐resistance middle cell, and EOL current matching of sub‐cells to the highest‐resistance top cell. A grid structure and cell size have been designed for concentrator applications in order to reduce the energy loss due to series resistance, and 38% (AM1·5G, 100–500 suns) efficiency has been demonstrated. Furthermore, thin‐film structure which is InGaP/GaAs dual junction cell on metal film has been newly developed. The thin‐film cell demonstrated high flexibility, lightweight, high efficiency of over 25% (AM0) and high radiation resistance. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recent progress of high efficiency Si thin‐film solar cells in large area

Si thin‐film solar cells are suitable to the sunbelt region due to a low temperature coefficient and to building integrated photovoltaics owing to flexible size, easily controllable transmittance, and an aesthetic design. Nevertheless, the application is limited until now due to their low conversion efficiency. We have developed a triple junction cell (a‐Si:H/a‐SiGe:H/µc‐Si:H) providing efficient light utilization. For the high efficiency, we have focused on the smoothing of high haze TCO, a low absorption window layer, a low refractive index interlayer, uniformity control of the thickness and crystalline volume fraction in the microcrystalline silicon layer, and a low absorption back reflector. Through these activities, we have achieved a world record of 13.4% stabilized efficiency in the small size cell (1 cm²) and 10.5% stabilized efficiency in the large area module (1.1 × 1.3 m²), certificated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, respectively. This result was presented in solar cell efficiency tables (Version 41). At this moment, we have increased a stabilized efficiency of 11.2% (Output power 160 W) in the large area module. We will report on the advanced materials in detail for high efficiency. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thin‐film GaAs epitaxial lift‐off solar cells for space applications

In the present work the space compatibility of thin‐film GaAs solar cells is studied. These cells are separated from their GaAs substrate by the epitaxial lift‐off (ELO) technique and mounted behind a CMG cover glass which at the same time serves as a stable carrier for the thin film cells. In the present initial stage of development these cells have an average efficiency of about 15·4% under AM0 illumination due to not yet optimized grid contacts and anti‐reflection coatings. Inspection after irradiation by 1 MeV electrons, thermal vacuum and thermal cycling experiments reveal that degradation of the cells is largely due to delamination and micro‐cracking. Based on these results, glass dehydration and adhesive degassing procedures are implemented in the ELO cell processing. As a consequence, even in this premature phase, newly produced cells show a radiation hardness comparable to or better than that of commercially available GaAs cells on Ge substrates and are virtually unaffected by severe thermal cycling. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

空间太阳电池硅单晶的辐射效应及加固

概述了硅太阳电池和硅单晶在空间高能粒子辐射下性能的变化及采用掺锡、掺锂提高太阳电池用硅单晶抗辐射性能的原理和方法。     

单晶Si、单结GaAs太阳能电池的激光损伤特性对比研究

采用1064 nm纳秒脉冲激光辐照单晶Si、单结G As太阳能电池,针对不同强度激光辐照太阳能电池的损伤特性进行了实验研究,得出激光光斑聚焦在电池栅线上时,电池更易损伤,单晶Si电池的栅线打断之后仍能很好工作,单结GaAs电池却完全失效,这是由于高掺杂的基底锗熔融凝固连接栅线,导通电池正负极.实验结果还表明,激光辐照在电池表面时,对单晶Si电池基本没有影响,而GaAs电池输出性能也没有很大幅度的下降.理论分析了纳秒激光对电池的损伤主要是热、力效应共同作用的结果.热效应使材料熔化、气化,力效应主要沿着激光传输的方向,垂直于材料表面.常温下Si材料对1 064 nm有较强的本征吸收,GaAs电池的GaAs层透过1 064 nm,Ge基底本征吸收1 064 nm,Ge材料的熔点低于Si材料且其禁带宽度更窄,故其初始损伤阈值略低.通过SEM扫描电镜、激光拉曼材料分析及X射线光电子能谱仪等分析手段对实验结果进行了验证.     

High efficiency triple junction thin film silicon solar cells with optimized electrical structure

We report on improving the performance of pin‐type a‐Si:H/a‐SiGe:H/µc‐Si:H triple‐junction solar cells and corresponding single‐junction solar cells in this paper. Based on wet‐etching sputtered aluminum‐doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) substrates with optimized surface morphologies and photo‐electrical material properties, after adjusting individual single‐junction solar cells utilized in triple‐junction solar cells with various optimization techniques, we pay close attention to the optimization of tunnel recombination junctions (TRJs). By means of the optimization of individual a‐Si:H/a‐SiGe:H and a‐SiGe:H/µc‐Si:H double‐junction solar cells, we compensated for the open circuit voltage (V_oc) loss at the a‐Si:H/a‐SiGe:H TRJ by adopting a p‐type µc‐Si:H layer with a low activation energy. By combining the optimized single‐junction solar cells and top/middle, middle/bottom TRJs with little electrical losses, an initial efficiency of 15.06% was achieved for pin‐type a‐Si:H/a‐SiGe:H/µc‐Si:H triple‐junction solar cells. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Life cycle assessment of thin‐film GaAs and GaInP/GaAs solar modules

This paper presents an environmental comparison based on life cycle assessment (LCA) of the production under average European circumstances and use in The Netherlands of modules based on two kinds of III–V solar cells in an early development stage: a thin‐film gallium arsenide (GaAs) cell and a thin‐film gallium‐indium phosphide/gallium arsenide (GaInP/GaAs) tandem cell. A more general comparison of these modules with the common multicrystalline silicon (multi‐Si) module is also included. The evaluation of the both III–V systems is made for a limited industrial production scale of 0·1 MW_p per year, compared to a scale of about 10 MW_p per year for the multi‐Si system. The here considered III–V cells allow for reuse of the GaAs wafers that are required for their production. The LCA indicates that the overall environmental impact of the production of the III–V modules is larger than the impact of the common multi‐Si module production; per category their scores have the same order of magnitude. For the III–V systems the metal‐organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) process is the main contributor to the primary energy consumption. The energy payback times of the thin‐film GaAs and GaInP/GaAs modules are 5·0 and 4·6 years, respectively. For the multi‐Si module an energy payback time of 4·2 years is found. The results for the III–V modules have an uncertainty up to approximately 40%. The highly comparable results for the III–V systems and the multi‐Si system indicate that from an environmental point of view there is a case for further development of both III–V systems. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An investigation of solar cell interconnection schemes within CPV modules using a validated temperature‐dependent SPICE network model

In this paper, we present a temperature‐dependent network model of a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module. The ability of this network model to calculate different interconnection schemes within CPV modules is validated, and there is good agreement between the measured and calculated data. The model is used to quantify the influence of an inhomogeneous current and of a temperature distribution between the solar cells on the power output of a module. The different interconnection schemes that combine parallel and series connections are compared. The optimal interconnection scheme strongly depends on the variations in the short current densities and temperature differences between the solar cells as well as on the risk of ‘sudden death’ of individual solar cells. Optimal interconnection schemes for several scenarios are developed. A combination of parallel and series interconnections is found to be the most robust interconnection. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

空间太阳能电池输出的改善

本文讨论了太空太阳能电池输出改善的几种方案，通过分离太阳光谱线，并将太阳能电池置于与其能隙相匹配的谱线区域，从而避免温升的影响，有效地电池的输出效率。     

Influence from front contact sheet resistance on extracted diode parameters in CIGS solar cells

The extraction of one‐diode model parameters from a current–voltage (J–V) curve is problematic, since the model is one‐dimensional while real devices are indeed three‐dimensional. The parameters obtained by fitting the model curve to experimental data depend on how the current is collected, and more specifically the geometry of the contact. This is due to the non‐uniform lateral current flow in the window layers, which leads to different parts of the device experiencing different front contact voltage drop, and hence different operating points on the ideal J–V curve. In this work, finite element simulations of three‐dimensional contact structures are performed and compared to experimental data on Cu(In,Ga)Se₂‐based solar cell devices. It is concluded that the lateral current flow can influence the extracted parameters from the one‐diode model significantly if the resistivity of the front contact material is high, or if there is no current collecting grid structure. These types of situations may appear in damp heat‐treated cells and module type cells, respectively. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design,fabrication, and analysis of transparent silicon solar cells for multi‐junction assemblies

Transparent silicon solar cells can lead to an increased efficiency of silicon‐based multi‐junction assemblies by transmitting near and below band gap energy light for conversion in a low band gap solar cell. This analysis shows that the maximum efficiency gain for a low band gap solar cell beneath silicon at a concentration of 50 suns is 5.8%, based on ideal absorption and conversion of the photons. This work analyzes the trade‐offs between increased near band edge absorption in the silicon and silicon solar cell transparency. Application of these results to real cases including a germanium bottom solar cell is analyzed, leading to a range of cases with increased system efficiency. Non‐ideal surfaces and real silicon and germanium solar cell device performance are presented. The range of practical system gains may be as low as 2.2 – 1% absolute when compared with the efficiency of a light‐trapped silicon solar cell for 1‐sun operation, based on this work. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature influence on performance degradation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells irradiated with protons

This paper reports temperature influence on radiation degradation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si : H) solar cells. Degradation behaviors of a‐Si : H solar cells irradiated with protons at 331 K are compared with that at 298 K (room temperature). Variations with time in the post‐irradiation electrical properties are also investigated. It is found that the radiation degradation of the electrical properties at 331 K is significantly smaller than that at room temperature. Also, all the electrical properties (short‐circuit current, open‐circuit voltage, output maximum, and fill factor) recover with time after irradiation even at room temperature. The characteristic time of thermal annealing of short‐circuit current is larger as the temperature is higher. These results indicate that temperature during irradiation and elapsed time from irradiation to measurement is an important parameter for radiation degradation of a‐Si : H solar cells. Therefore, these parameters should be controlled in conducting the ground radiation tests. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simulation study towards a new concept for realization of thin film triple junction solar cells based on group IV elements

In this paper, the theoretical efficiency of multi‐junction solar cells based on group IV elements has been investigated. The effects of different absorbing layer numbers, different band gap combinations, and temperature changes have been reviewed for multi‐spectral solar cells. Several simulations were done to identify the ideal band gap combination for triple‐junction solar cells. Based on these results and under consideration of actual material parameters, a new promising triple‐junction solar cell concept with a‐Si:H/µc‐Si:H/ and µc‐Ge:H has been found for developing high efficiency thin film solar cells. Additionally, advanced simulations were performed in order to evaluate the feasibility of this new concept. The photocurrent, the external quantum efficiency, and the layer thicknesses were simulated and evaluated. All parameters deliver promising results for a new triple‐junction solar cell concept with an intermediate reflector between the middle‐ and bottom structure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validation of energy prediction method for a concentrator photovoltaic module in Toyohashi Japan

III–V concentrator photovoltaic systems attain high efficiency through the use of series connected multi‐junction solar cells. As these solar cells absorb over distinct bands over the solar spectrum, they have a more complex response to real illumination conditions than conventional silicon solar cells. Estimates for annual energy yield made assuming fixed reference spectra can vary by up to 15% depending on the assumptions made. Using a detailed computer simulation, the behaviour of a 20‐cell InGaP/In_0.01GaAs/Ge multi‐junction concentrator system was simulated in 5‐min intervals over an entire year, accounting for changes in direct normal irradiance, humidity, temperature and aerosol optical depth. The simulation was compared with concentrator system monitoring data taken over the same period and excellent agreement (within 2%) in the annual energy yield was obtained. Air mass, aerosol optical depth and precipitable water have been identified as atmospheric parameters with the largest impact on system efficiency. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of a Mo back contact on Na diffusion in CIGS thin film solar cells

We investigated the effects of the microstructures of molybdenum (Mo) back contacts on sodium (Na) diffusion from sodalime glass into a Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) absorber as a function of the sputter deposition pressure during preparation of the Mo contact layer. The surface characteristics of the Mo layers more significantly affected the diffusion of Na ions into the CIGS compared with the Mo bulk. The Na ion diffusion depended strongly on the amount of oxygen adsorbed onto the Mo layer surfaces. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy results showed that Na accumulated in a layer (Na–O compound) on the Mo surface (the CIGS/Mo interface), and this layer served as a primary source of Na ions diffusing into the CIGS. A trilayered Mo back contact structure was prepared in an effort to decouple the functions of electrical conductance and Na diffusion. The ability of this surface to control the Na concentration in a CIGS absorber is discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of short circuit current gains by an anti‐reflective textured cover on silicon thin film solar cells

The influence of a retro‐reflective texture cover on light in‐coupling and light‐trapping in thin film silicon solar cells is investigated. The texture cover is applied to the front glass of the cell and leads to a reflectance as low as r ≈ 3% by reducing the reflection at the air/glass interface and indirectly also reducing the reflections from the internal interfaces. For weakly absorbed light in the long wavelength range, the texture also enhances the light‐trapping in the solar cell. We demonstrate an increase of the short circuit current density of exemplary investigated thin film silicon tandem solar cells by up to 0.95 mA cm⁻² and of the conversion efficiency by up to 0.74% (absolute). For a planar microcrystalline solar cell, the enhancement of light‐trapping was determined from the reduced reflection in the long wavelength range to be up to 17%, leading to an increase of the external quantum efficiency of up to 12%. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

光强和温度对多结太阳电池的影响研究

基于模拟太阳光源的方法,在室内研究了在不同光照强度、不同工作温度下GaAs多结太阳电池的输出特性.通过实验得出:随着光源辐照强度的增加,太阳电池的特性参数:短路电流Isc线性增加,开路电压Voc对数增加,最大输出功率P线性增加,光电转换效率η随聚光比增加到一定程度后减小.对比分析了光强和温度对电池输出特性的影响,数据结...