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Title: Realization of GaInP/Si dual-junction solar cells with 29.8% 1-sun efficiency

Journal Article · · IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
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  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  2. Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), Neuchatel (Switzerland)
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Combining a Si solar cell with a high-bandgap top cell reduces the thermalization losses in the short wavelength and enables theoretical 1-sun efficiencies far over 30%. We have investigated the fabrication and optimization of Si-based tandem solar cells with 1.8-eV rear-heterojunction GaInP top cells. The III-V and Si heterojunction subcells were fabricated separately and joined by mechanical stacking using electrically insulating optically transparent interlayers. Our GaInP/Si dual-junction solar cells have achieved a certified cumulative 1-sun efficiency of 29.8% ± 0.6% (AM1.5g) in four-terminal operation conditions, which exceeds the record 1-sun efficiencies achieved with both III-V and Si single-junction solar cells. Furthermore, the effect of luminescent coupling between the subcells has been investigated, and optical losses in the solar cell structure have been addressed.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1329999
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5J00-65653
Journal Information:
IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 6, Issue 4; ISSN 2156-3381
Publisher:
IEEECopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 92 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Cited By (13)

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Solar cell efficiency tables (version 48): Solar cell efficiency tables (version 48) journal June 2016
III‐V//Si multijunction solar cells with 30% efficiency using smart stack technology with Pd nanoparticle array journal November 2019
Selecting tandem partners for silicon solar cells journal September 2016
Raising the one-sun conversion efficiency of III–V/Si solar cells to 32.8% for two junctions and 35.9% for three junctions journal August 2017
Plasmon-enhanced triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion of post-modified polymeric acceptors journal January 2018
Changes in output parameters of 1 MeV electron irradiated upright metamorphic GaInP/GaInAs/Ge triple junction solar cell journal October 2018
ZnO 1−x Te x highly mismatched alloys beyond the dilute alloy limit: Synthesis and electronic band structure journal April 2019
Degradation analysis of 1 MeV electron and 3 MeV proton irradiated InGaAs single junction solar cell journal July 2019
Material challenges for solar cells in the twenty-first century: directions in emerging technologies journal April 2018
A review of recent progress in heterogeneous silicon tandem solar cells journal March 2018
The Next-Generation Retail Electricity Market in the Context of Distributed Energy Resources: Vision and Integrating Framework journal February 2019

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Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
photovoltaic cells
silicon
computer architecture
microprocessors
photonics
absorption
couplings
multijunction solar cell
silicon solar cells
III-V semiconductor materials