Advanced high efficiency concentrator cells

Technical Report · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5148270· OSTI ID:5148270

Gale, R. ^[1]

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1. Varian Associates, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (United States). Varian Research Center

This report describes research to develop the technology needed to demonstrate a monolithic, multijunction, two-terminal, concentrator solar cell with a terrestrial power conversion efficiency greater than 35%. Under three previous subcontracts, Varian developed many of the aspects of a technology needed to fabricate very high efficiency concentrator cells. The current project was aimed at exploiting the new understanding of high efficiency solar cells. Key results covered in this report are as follows. (1) A 1.93-eV AlGaAs/1.42-eV GaAs metal-interconnected cascade cell was manufactured with a one-sun efficiency at 27.6% at air mass 1.5 (AM1.5) global. (2) A 1.0eV InGaAs cell was fabricated on the reverse'' side of a low-doped GaAs substrate with a one-sun efficiency of 2.5% AM1.5 diffuse and a short-circuit current of 14.4 mA/cm{sup 2}. (3) Small-scale manufacturing of GaAs p/n concentrator cells was attempted and obtained an excellent yield of high-efficiency cells. (4) Grown-in tunnel junction cell interconnects that are transparent and thermally stable using C and Si dopants were developed. 10 refs.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Varian Associates, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (United States). Varian Research Center
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 5148270
• Report Number(s): NREL/TP-451-4855; ON: DE92010559
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
GALLIUM ARSENIDE SOLAR CELLS
EFFICIENCY
ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES
CHARGE CARRIERS
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
INDIUM ARSENIDES
PHOTOVOLTAIC CONVERSION
PROGRESS REPORT
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SOLAR CONCENTRATORS
SPECTRAL RESPONSE
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CHEMICAL COATING
CONVERSION
DEPOSITION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY CONVERSION
EQUIPMENT
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
JUNCTIONS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PNICTIDES
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SURFACE COATING
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion