Title :
Monolithic series-connected gallium arsenide converter development
Author :
Spitzer, M.B. ; McClelland, R.W. ; Dingle, B.D. ; Dingle, J.E. ; Hill, D.S. ; Rose, B.H.
Author_Institution :
Kopin Corp., Taunton, MA, USA
Abstract :
The development of monolithic GaAs photovoltaic devices intended to convert light generated by a laser or other bright source to electricity is reported. The converters described can provide higher operating voltage than is possible using a single-junction converter, owing to the use of a monolithic circuit that forms a planar series-connected string of single-junction sub-cells. This planar monolithic circuit is arranged to deliver the desired voltage and current during operation at the maximum power point. A description is presented of two, six, and twelve-junction converters intended for illumination by a laser diode with a wavelength of 0.8 μm. Design and characterization data are presented for optical power in the range of 100 mW to 1 W. The best conversion efficiency exceeds 50%
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; gallium arsenide; solar cells; GaAs solar cells; illumination; laser diode; monolithic series-connected photovoltaic devices; planar monolithic circuit; semiconductor; single-junction sub-cells; Circuits; Diode lasers; Energy conversion; Gallium arsenide; Lighting; Photovoltaic systems; Power generation; Solar power generation; Voltage; Wavelength converters;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1991., Conference Record of the Twenty Second IEEE
Conference_Location :
Las Vegas, NV
Print_ISBN :
0-87942-636-5
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1991.169198
