Dilute group III-V nitride intermediate band solar cells with contact blocking layers
Abstract
An intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) is provided including a p-n junction based on dilute III-V nitride materials and a pair of contact blocking layers positioned on opposite surfaces of the p-n junction for electrically isolating the intermediate band of the p-n junction by blocking the charge transport in the intermediate band without affecting the electron and hole collection efficiency of the p-n junction, thereby increasing open circuit voltage (V.sub.OC) of the IBSC and increasing the photocurrent by utilizing the intermediate band to absorb photons with energy below the band gap of the absorber layers of the IBSC. Hence, the overall power conversion efficiency of a IBSC will be much higher than an conventional single junction solar cell. The p-n junction absorber layers of the IBSC may further have compositionally graded nitrogen concentrations to provide an electric field for more efficient charge collection.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1170742
- Patent Number(s):
- 8962992
- Application Number:
- 13/529,090
- Assignee:
- RoseStreet Labs Energy, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 2012 Jun 21
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY
Citation Formats
Walukiewicz, Wladyslaw, and Yu, Kin Man. Dilute group III-V nitride intermediate band solar cells with contact blocking layers. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web.
Walukiewicz, Wladyslaw, & Yu, Kin Man. Dilute group III-V nitride intermediate band solar cells with contact blocking layers. United States.
Walukiewicz, Wladyslaw, and Yu, Kin Man. Tue .
"Dilute group III-V nitride intermediate band solar cells with contact blocking layers". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1170742.
@article{osti_1170742,
title = {Dilute group III-V nitride intermediate band solar cells with contact blocking layers},
author = {Walukiewicz, Wladyslaw and Yu, Kin Man},
abstractNote = {An intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) is provided including a p-n junction based on dilute III-V nitride materials and a pair of contact blocking layers positioned on opposite surfaces of the p-n junction for electrically isolating the intermediate band of the p-n junction by blocking the charge transport in the intermediate band without affecting the electron and hole collection efficiency of the p-n junction, thereby increasing open circuit voltage (V.sub.OC) of the IBSC and increasing the photocurrent by utilizing the intermediate band to absorb photons with energy below the band gap of the absorber layers of the IBSC. Hence, the overall power conversion efficiency of a IBSC will be much higher than an conventional single junction solar cell. The p-n junction absorber layers of the IBSC may further have compositionally graded nitrogen concentrations to provide an electric field for more efficient charge collection.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2015},
month = {2}
}
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