Tunnel junction interconnects in GaAs-based multijunction solar cells
- National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
Monolithic multijunction solar cell performance and manufacturing can be significantly affected by the scheme used to connect the component subcells. In the recent record GaInP/GaAs tandem solar cells, the authors developed a GaAs tunnel junction interconnect doped with carbon and selenium that had a specific resistance at zero bias of <1 m{Omega}-cm{sup 2} after annealing at 700 C for 15 minutes, The approximate conditions for growing the upper cell in the tandem structure. The specific resistance of the unannealed tunnel junction is about an order of magnitude lower than previously reported results for GaAs tunnel junctions. When incorporated into a solar cell structure, the tunnel junction displays non-ideal characteristics, including the absence of a negative resistivity region and poorer conductance for large reverse bias than for similar-magnitude forward bias. These characteristics are shown to originate in a nearby heterojunction formed when the tunnel junction is incorporated in the tandem cell device structure.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-83CH10093
- OSTI ID:
- 191140
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941203--; ISBN 0-7803-1459-X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ANNEALING
CARBON
CURRENT DENSITY
DOPED MATERIALS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FABRICATION
GALLIUM ARSENIDE SOLAR CELLS
GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE SOLAR CELLS
INDIUM PHOSPHIDE SOLAR CELLS
ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
SELENIUM
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
VAPOR PHASE EPITAXY
ZINC