Development of high-efficiency stacked multiple-bandgap solar cells. Interim technical report 1 August 78-1 October 79
The first 14-month program of a twenty-four month experimental investigation backed by analytical modeling has been conducted to develop technologies required for fabricating stacked multiple bandgap solar cell (SMBSC) assemblies having AMO 1-sun efficiencies of 25% or greater at 25 C. Investigations were undertaken with the following four SMBSC materials systems: (1) two-cell GaAs-Ge structure, made by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD), conventional CVD, and molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) methods; (2) two-cell GaAs-InGaAs structure, made by liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) techniques; (3) three-cell GaAlAs-GaAs-GaAsSb structure, made by MO-CVD and MBE methods; and (4) three-cell GaAlAs-GaAs-InGaAsP structure, made by LPE and MBE methods. Each of these systems involves the GaAlAs-GaAs materials combination as the basic building block. Near the end of the program a change in emphasis was introduced to limit the investigations to GaAlAs-GaAs and GaAs-Ge two-cell structures and the three-cell GaAlAs-GaAs-Ge structure that might also result. Principal emphasis was then placed on the MO-CVD technique, supplemented by MBE, LPE, or other deposition and/or processing techniques where appropriate. The principal achievement was with the GaAlAs-GaAs system, in which a two-cell SMBSC that exhibited voltage addition (Voc approx = 2.1 V) under illumination was successfully fabricated. The two individual cells and the connecting tunnel junction were grown entirely by MO-CVD techniques in this structure. Similar structures made by a combination of MO-CVD and MBE techniques also appeared quite promising.
- Research Organization:
- Rockwell International Corp., Anaheim, CA (USA). Electronics Research Div.
- OSTI ID:
- 5779855
- Report Number(s):
- AD-A-096764/6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
BEAMS
CASCADE SOLAR CELLS
CHEMICAL COATING
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
DEPOSITION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EFFICIENCY
EPITAXY
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
GALLIUM ARSENIDE SOLAR CELLS
GRADED BAND GAPS
ILLUMINANCE
JUNCTIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOLECULAR BEAMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PROCESSING
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SURFACE COATING