Title :
High-efficiency radiation-resistant InGaP/GaAs tandem solar cells
Author :
Takamoto, T. ; Yamaguchi, M. ; Taylor, S.J. ; Ikeka, E. ; Agui, T. ; Kurita, H.
Author_Institution :
Toyota Technol. Inst., Nagoya, Japan
fDate :
29 Sep-3 Oct 1997
Abstract :
A world-record efficiency of 26.9% (AMO, 28°C) has been obtained for InGaP/GaAs tandem solar cells fabricated by the MOCVD method. The radiation resistance of the InGaP/GaAs tandem solar cells has also been evaluated following 1 MeV electron irradiation. Degradation in tandem cell performance has been confirmed to be mainly attributed to large degradation in the GaAs bottom cell, which features a highly doped base layer. Similar radiation-resistance with GaAs-on-Ge cells has been observed for the InGaP/GaAs tandem cell. However, some recovery of the tandem cell performance has been found due to minority-carrier injection under light illumination or forward bias, which causes defect annealing in InGaP cells. The optimal design of the InGaP base layer thickness for current matching at end of life (EOL) (after irradiation with 1015 electrons cm-2) has been examined
Keywords :
CVD coatings; III-V semiconductors; chemical vapour deposition; gallium arsenide; gallium compounds; indium compounds; p-n heterojunctions; semiconductor device testing; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; 1 MeV; 26.9 percent; 28 C; InGaP-GaAs; InGaP/GaAs tandem solar cells; MOCVD fabrication method; base layer thickness; current matching; defect annealing; electron irradiation; end of life; forward bias; light illumination; minority-carrier injection; optimal design; performance degradation; radiation-resistance; Annealing; Degradation; Electrons; Gallium arsenide; Lattices; Light sources; MOCVD; Photoluminescence; Photovoltaic cells; Substrates;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1997., Conference Record of the Twenty-Sixth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3767-0
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1997.654229
