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Title: High 400 °C operation temperature blue spectrum concentration solar junction in GaInN/GaN

Abstract

Transparent wide gap junctions suitable as high temperature, high flux topping cells have been achieved in GaInN/GaN by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. In structures of 25 quantum wells (QWs) under AM1.5G illumination, an open circuit voltage of 2.1 V is achieved. Of the photons absorbed in the limited spectral range of <450 nm, 64.2% are converted to electrons collected at the contacts under zero bias. At a fill factor of 45%, they account for a power conversion efficiency of38.6%. Under concentration, the maximum output power density per sun increases from 0.49 mW/cm{sup 2} to 0.51 mW/cm{sup 2} at 40 suns and then falls 0.42 mW/cm{sup 2} at 150 suns. Under external heating, a maximum of 0.59 mW/cm{sup 2} is reached at 250 °C. Even at 400 °C, the device is fully operational and exceeds room temperature performance. A defect analysis suggests that significantly higher fill factors and extension into longer wavelength ranges are possible with further development. The results prove GaInN/GaN QW solar junctions a viable and rugged topping cell for concentrator photovoltaics with minimal cooling requirements. By capturing the short range spectrum, they reduce the thermal load to any conventional cells stacked behind.

Authors:
; ;  [1]
  1. Future Chips Constellation and Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22395567
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Applied Physics Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 105; Journal Issue: 24; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY; CONCENTRATION RATIO; EFFICIENCY; ELECTRIC CONTACTS; ELECTRIC POTENTIAL; ELECTRONS; FILL FACTORS; GALLIUM NITRIDES; ILLUMINANCE; INDIUM NITRIDES; OPERATION; ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS; PHOTONS; PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECT; QUANTUM WELLS; SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS; TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE; VAPOR PHASE EPITAXY

Citation Formats

Zhao, Liang, Detchprohm, Theeradetch, and Wetzel, Christian. High 400 °C operation temperature blue spectrum concentration solar junction in GaInN/GaN. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4904717.
Zhao, Liang, Detchprohm, Theeradetch, & Wetzel, Christian. High 400 °C operation temperature blue spectrum concentration solar junction in GaInN/GaN. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4904717
Zhao, Liang, Detchprohm, Theeradetch, and Wetzel, Christian. 2014. "High 400 °C operation temperature blue spectrum concentration solar junction in GaInN/GaN". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4904717.
@article{osti_22395567,
title = {High 400 °C operation temperature blue spectrum concentration solar junction in GaInN/GaN},
author = {Zhao, Liang and Detchprohm, Theeradetch and Wetzel, Christian},
abstractNote = {Transparent wide gap junctions suitable as high temperature, high flux topping cells have been achieved in GaInN/GaN by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. In structures of 25 quantum wells (QWs) under AM1.5G illumination, an open circuit voltage of 2.1 V is achieved. Of the photons absorbed in the limited spectral range of <450 nm, 64.2% are converted to electrons collected at the contacts under zero bias. At a fill factor of 45%, they account for a power conversion efficiency of38.6%. Under concentration, the maximum output power density per sun increases from 0.49 mW/cm{sup 2} to 0.51 mW/cm{sup 2} at 40 suns and then falls 0.42 mW/cm{sup 2} at 150 suns. Under external heating, a maximum of 0.59 mW/cm{sup 2} is reached at 250 °C. Even at 400 °C, the device is fully operational and exceeds room temperature performance. A defect analysis suggests that significantly higher fill factors and extension into longer wavelength ranges are possible with further development. The results prove GaInN/GaN QW solar junctions a viable and rugged topping cell for concentrator photovoltaics with minimal cooling requirements. By capturing the short range spectrum, they reduce the thermal load to any conventional cells stacked behind.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4904717},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22395567}, journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
issn = {0003-6951},
number = 24,
volume = 105,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}