AP-MOVPE Technology and Characterization of InGaAsN p-i-n Subcell for InGaAsN/GaAs Tandem Solar Cell
Abstract
Tandem (two p-n junctions connected by tunnel junction) and multijunction solar cells (MJSCs) based on AIIIBV semiconductor compounds and alloys are the most effective photovoltaic devices. Record efficiency of the MJSCs exceeds 44% under concentrated sunlight. Individual subcells connected in series by tunnel junctions are crucial components of these devices. In this paper we present atmospheric pressure metal organic vapour phase epitaxy (AP-MOVPE) of InGaAsN based subcell for InGaAsN/GaAs tandem solar cell. The parameters of epitaxial structure (optical and electrical), fabrication process of the test solar cell devices and current-voltage (J-V) characteristics are presented and discussed.References
W. Shockley and H. J. Queissery, “Detailed Balance Limit of Efficiency of p-n Junction Solar Cells,” J. Appl. Phys., vol. 32, pp. 510–519, 1961.
G. Conibeer, “Third-generation photovoltaics,” Materials Today, vol.
, pp. 42-50, 2007.
S. P. Philipps et al., “Present Status in the Development of III-
V Multi-Junction Solar Cells,” in Next Generation of Photovoltaics,
A. Cristobal, A. Marti Vega, L. Luque (eds), Springer Series in Optical Sciences, Vol. 165, pp. 1-22, 2012.
C. B. Honsberg, S. P. Bremner and R. Corkish, “Design trade-offs and rules for multiple energy level solar cells,” Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, vol. 14, pp. 136-141, 2007.
T. Trupke, M. A. Green and P. W¨urfel., “ Improving solar cell
efficiencies by down-conversion of high-energy photons,” J. Appl. Phys., vol. 92, pp. 1668-1674, 2002.
H.-Q. Wang et al., “ Rare-Earth Ion Doped Up-Conversion Materials for Photovoltaic Applications,” Advanced Materials, vol. 23, pp. 2675-2680, 2011.
H. A. Atwater and A. Polman, “Plasmonics for improved photovoltaic devices,” Nature Materials, vol. 9, pp. 205-213, 2002.
R. T. Ross and A. Nozik, “Efficiency of hot-carrier solar energy
converters,” J. Appl. Phys., vol. 53, pp. 3813-3818, 1982.
M. Weyers, M. Sato and H. Ando, “Red Shift of Photoluminescence and Absorption in Dilute GaAsN Alloy Layers,” Jpn. J. Appl. Phys, vol. 31(7A), pp. L853-L855, 1992.
M. Kondow, K. Uomi, A. Niwa, T. Kitatani, S. Watahiki and Y.
Yazawa, “GaInNAs: A Novel Material for Long-Wavelength-Range
Laser Diodes with Excellent High-Temperature Performance,” Jpn. J. Appl. Phys, vol. 35, pp. 1273-1275, 1996.
B. Ściana et al., “Influence of the AP MOVPE process parameters on properties of (In, Ga)(As, N)/ GaAs heterostructures for photovoltaic applications,” Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 8902, pp. 89020J-1 - 89020J-8, 2013.
B. Ściana et al., “MOVPE growth of AIIIBV-N semiconductor compounds for photovoltaic applications,” Cryst. Res. Technol., vol. 47, pp. 313-320, 2012.
D. Radziewicz et al., “Influence of the MOVPE growth parameters on the properties of InGaAsN/GaAs MQW structures for solar cells application,” ASDAM 2012 - Conference Proceedings: The 9th International Conference on Advanced Semiconductor Devices and Microsystems, pp. 123-126, 2012.
“PN4300PC Electrochemical C-V Profiler with Photovoltage Spec-
troscopy,” Operating Manual, Accent Semiconductor Technologies Inc. issue 2, September 2000.
F. H. Pollack and H. Shen, “Photoreflectance characterization of semiconductors and semiconductor heterostructures,” Journal of Electronic Materials, vol. 19, pp. 399-406, 1990.
J. Misiewicz, P. Sitarek, G. Sek and R. Kudrawiec, “Semiconductor heterostructures and device structures investigated by photoreflectance spectroscopy,” Materials Science- Poland, vol. 21, pp. 263-320, 2003.
E. Canovas et al., “Photoreflectance analysis of a GaInP/GaInAs/Ge multijunction solar cell ,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 97, pp. 203504(1)-203504(3), 2010.
J. Gray, “The Physics of the Solar Cell,” in Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering, Second Edition, A. Luque and S. Hegedus (eds), John Wiley & Sons, pp. 82-129, 2011.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
1. License
The non-commercial use of the article will be governed by the Creative Commons Attribution license as currently displayed on https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
2. Author’s Warranties
The author warrants that the article is original, written by stated author/s, has not been published before, contains no unlawful statements, does not infringe the rights of others, is subject to copyright that is vested exclusively in the author and free of any third party rights, and that any necessary written permissions to quote from other sources have been obtained by the author/s. The undersigned also warrants that the manuscript (or its essential substance) has not been published other than as an abstract or doctorate thesis and has not been submitted for consideration elsewhere, for print, electronic or digital publication.
3. User Rights
Under the Creative Commons Attribution license, the author(s) and users are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit the contribution) under the following conditions: 1. they must attribute the contribution in the manner specified by the author or licensor, 2. they may alter, transform, or build upon this work, 3. they may use this contribution for commercial purposes.
4. Rights of Authors
Authors retain the following rights:
- copyright, and other proprietary rights relating to the article, such as patent rights,
- the right to use the substance of the article in own future works, including lectures and books,
- the right to reproduce the article for own purposes, provided the copies are not offered for sale,
- the right to self-archive the article
- the right to supervision over the integrity of the content of the work and its fair use.
5. Co-Authorship
If the article was prepared jointly with other authors, the signatory of this form warrants that he/she has been authorized by all co-authors to sign this agreement on their behalf, and agrees to inform his/her co-authors of the terms of this agreement.
6. Termination
This agreement can be terminated by the author or the Journal Owner upon two months’ notice where the other party has materially breached this agreement and failed to remedy such breach within a month of being given the terminating party’s notice requesting such breach to be remedied. No breach or violation of this agreement will cause this agreement or any license granted in it to terminate automatically or affect the definition of the Journal Owner. The author and the Journal Owner may agree to terminate this agreement at any time. This agreement or any license granted in it cannot be terminated otherwise than in accordance with this section 6. This License shall remain in effect throughout the term of copyright in the Work and may not be revoked without the express written consent of both parties.
7. Royalties
This agreement entitles the author to no royalties or other fees. To such extent as legally permissible, the author waives his or her right to collect royalties relative to the article in respect of any use of the article by the Journal Owner or its sublicensee.
8. Miscellaneous
The Journal Owner will publish the article (or have it published) in the Journal if the article’s editorial process is successfully completed and the Journal Owner or its sublicensee has become obligated to have the article published. Where such obligation depends on the payment of a fee, it shall not be deemed to exist until such time as that fee is paid. The Journal Owner may conform the article to a style of punctuation, spelling, capitalization and usage that it deems appropriate. The Journal Owner will be allowed to sublicense the rights that are licensed to it under this agreement. This agreement will be governed by the laws of Poland.
By signing this License, Author(s) warrant(s) that they have the full power to enter into this agreement. This License shall remain in effect throughout the term of copyright in the Work and may not be revoked without the express written consent of both parties.