Study of minority carrier diffusion lengths in photoactive layers of multijunction solar cells

Journal Article · Sun Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Semiconductors

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063782610080233· OSTI ID:21562233

Andreev, V M; Emelyanov, V M; Kalyuzhnyy, N A; Timoshina, N K; Shvarts, M Z; Lantratov, V M ^[1]

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1. Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical Technical Institute (Russian Federation)

A technique for determining a minority carrier's diffusion length in photoactive III-V layers of solar cells by approximating their spectral characteristics is presented. Single-junction GaAs, Ge and multi-junction GaAs/Ge, GaInP/GaAs, and GaInP/GaInAs/Ge solar cells fabricated by hydride metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy (H-MOVPE) have been studied. The dependences of the minority carrier diffusion length on the doping level of p-Ge and n-GaAs are determined. It is shown that the parameters of solid-state diffusion of phosphorus atoms to the p-Ge substrate from the n-GaInP nucleation layer are independent of the thickness of the latter within 35-300 nm. It is found that the diffusion length of subcells of multijunction structures in Ga(In)As layers is smaller in comparison with that of single-junction structures.

• OSTI ID: 21562233
• Journal Information: Semiconductors, Journal Name: Semiconductors Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 44; ISSN SMICES; ISSN 1063-7826
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
ATOMS
CARRIERS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CRYSTAL GROWTH METHODS
DIFFUSION
DIFFUSION LENGTH
DIMENSIONS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELEMENTS
EPITAXY
EQUIPMENT
EVALUATION
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LAYERS
LENGTH
NONMETALS
NUCLEATION
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORUS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PNICTIDES
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLIDS
SUBSTRATES
THICKNESS
VAPOR PHASE EPITAXY