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Photovoltaic characteristics of each subcell evaluated in situ in a triple-junction solar cell.
- Source :
-
Solid-State Electronics . Dec2016, Vol. 126, p109-114. 6p. - Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- New manufacturing processes were proposed to evaluate important photovoltaic properties of each subcell in an InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cell. In addition to the triple-junction cell, an InGaAs/Ge double-junction cell and a Ge single-junction cell were also fabricated and employed for evaluation. The key merit of the double-junction cell is that semiconductor layers of forming InGaP top subcell are retained as a dummy top subcell. Thus, the InGaAs middle subcells in both triple- and double-junction cells will receive the same light spectrum. Similarly, the Ge single-junction cell is fabricated with dummy top and middle subcells as light filters. Open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, conversion efficiency, and current mismatched ratio were measured for evaluating and optimizing each subcell. It is found that Open-circuit voltages are 1.295, 0.967, and 0.212 V for the InGaP, InGaAs, and Ge subcells with temperature coefficients of −2.5, −1.99, and −1.87 mV/°C. Thus the Ge subcell no longer acts a real solar cell at temperature over ∼140 °C. Besides, effect of ambient temperature on short circuit currents of all as-fabricated solar cells is not relevant. The current mismatched ratios are 18.6–20% at temperature ranged from 25 °C to 80 °C. A low efficiency of ∼18.7% is due partly to the poor current match. However, the processing concept proposed is useful as a method of matching currents among the subcells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00381101
- Volume :
- 126
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Solid-State Electronics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 119000062
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2016.09.006