Development of high-efficiency GaAs solar cells on polycrystalline Ge substrates
- Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 (United States)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States)
Progress in the development of high-efficiency GaAs solar cells on low-cost, large-area, large-grain, optical-grade polycrystalline Ge substrates is described in this paper. First, we present results on the growth of specular GaAs-AlGaAs layers, across the various crystalline orientations of a polycrystalline Ge substrate, by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Second, we present the preliminary optimization of minority-carrier properties of GaAs-AlGaAs structures on poly-Ge substrates towards the improvement of GaAs solar cells. We have demonstrated comparable minority-carrier lifetimes in GaAs double-hetero structures grown on optical-grade poly-Ge substrates and electronic-grade single-crystal Ge substrates. In addition, we describe device-structure optimization that have led us to achieve a open-circuit voltage of {approximately}1 Volt in a GaAs solar cell on poly-Ge and to improve our previous best efficiency from 15.8{percent} for a 1-cm{sup 2}-area GaAs cell to 16.7{percent} for a 4-cm{sup 2}-area GaAs solar cell on poly-Ge. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 450135
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9605265-; ISSN 0094-243X; TRN: 9703M0066
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 353, Issue 1; Conference: 13. NREL photovoltaics program review meeting, Lakewood, CO (United States), 16-19 May 1996; Other Information: PBD: Jan 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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