Effect of strain on the efficiency of InGaN-based multijunction solar cell

In this paper, the strain-dependent efficiency of multijunction solar cell (MJSC) is reported for the first time. Using multilayered strain model, the strain induced due to the change in lattice constants in different layers of MJSC is calculated. With the combination of strain and deformation potentials the strain-induced change in band gap energy of different subcells is estimated. The results obtained in our study demonstrate that the efficiency of InGaN-based MJSC is increased under the influence of strain compared to that evaluated without taking into account of strain. It is also found that the strain-dependent change in efficiency depends on the number of subcell layers and their thicknesses. The enhancement of efficiency is resulted from the increasing of open circuit voltage of the subcells under the influence of compressive strain.