GaAs solar cell with low surface recombination. Final subcontract report

Technical Report · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6406702· OSTI ID:6406702

Shealy, J. R.; McDonald, P. A.; Benjamin, J. L.; Wagner, D. K.

The fabrication of large-area solar cells (0.16 cm/sup 2/) on GaAs and AlGaAs structures with a new passivating coating, pyrolytic Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/, is demonstrated. Results in this study illustrate a near-oxide-free interface between GaAs and the Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ coatings. These coatings were applied to three solar cell structures, a heteroface AlGaAs/GaAs cell, a graded band-gap AlGaAs cell, and a diffused homojunction cell. The results indicate that the pyrolytic Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ coatings improve the surface (high energy) response of homojunction cells; however, they do not perform as well as cells with AlGaAs window layers on the surface. As a result, little improvement in the heteroface solar cell high-energy response was observed in this study. The best solar cells fabricated in this study with Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ coatings were heteroface structures whose 1-sun, AMO conversion efficiencies were as high as 14.6%.

• Research Organization: General Electric Co., Syracuse, NY (USA). Power Electronics Semiconductor Dept.
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 6406702
• Report Number(s): SERI/STR-211-2811; ON: DE85016879
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
ALUMINIUM
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
GALLIUM ARSENIDE SOLAR CELLS
GRADED BAND GAPS
HOMOJUNCTIONS
JUNCTIONS
METALS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RECOMBINATION
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
TESTING