Tunable Bandgap GaInAsP Solar Cells With 18.7% Photoconversion Efficiency Synthesized by Low-Cost and High-Growth Rate Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

doi:10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2865172

Title: Tunable Bandgap GaInAsP Solar Cells With 18.7% Photoconversion Efficiency Synthesized by Low-Cost and High-Growth Rate Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

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Abstract

As market-dominant Si solar cell technology approaches its practical efficiency limit of 27.1%, a key challenge for the photovoltaic industry is to search for a low-cost ~1.7 eV top cell that can enable cost-competitive tandems with solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency exceeding 30%. III-V semiconductors offer tunable bandgap and unparalleled efficiencies for tandem devices. However, their high manufacturing cost has been the biggest impediment for market entry. Hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) has recently reemerged as a promising low-cost alternative to incumbent metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for III-V solar cells. Here, we show the first demonstration of ~1.7 eV GaInAsP solar cells that achieve nearly 19% photoconversion efficiency synthesized by HVPE. The unprecedented growth rate of ~42 um/h achieved via HVPE (~10x faster than conventional MOCVD) allowed the device layers to be deposited in less than seven minutes. Nearly abrupt and chemically distinct heterointerfaces were attained in spite of high-growth rates, which are known to exacerbate phase separation in GaInAsP alloys. Demonstration of ideality factor of n=1 at max power point highlight the advancements in growth optimization and device design. The results presented here highlight a promising path toward tunable bandgap, high-growth rate, low-cost, and high-efficiency GaInAsP devices for direct solar-to-electricitymore » and solar-to-hydrogen conversion.« less

Authors:

Jain, Nikhil ^[1]; Simon, John ^[1]; Schulte, Kevin L. ^[1]; Friedman, Daniel J. ^[1]; Diercks, David R. ^[2]; Packard, Corinne E. ^[1]; Young, David L. ^[1]; Ptak, Aaron J. ^[1]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)

Publication Date:: 2018-09-03

Research Org.:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)

OSTI Identifier:: 1475119

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5900-72495
Journal ID: ISSN 2156-3381

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2156-3381

Publisher:: IEEE

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; dynamic-hydride vapor phase epitaxy (D-HVPE); GaInAsP; high-growth rate; phase separation; solar cell

Citation Formats


                    Jain, Nikhil, Simon, John, Schulte, Kevin L., Friedman, Daniel J., Diercks, David R., Packard, Corinne E., Young, David L., and Ptak, Aaron J. Tunable Bandgap GaInAsP Solar Cells With 18.7% Photoconversion Efficiency Synthesized by Low-Cost and High-Growth Rate Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
        Web.  doi:10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2865172.

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                    Jain, Nikhil, Simon, John, Schulte, Kevin L., Friedman, Daniel J., Diercks, David R., Packard, Corinne E., Young, David L., & Ptak, Aaron J. Tunable Bandgap GaInAsP Solar Cells With 18.7% Photoconversion Efficiency Synthesized by Low-Cost and High-Growth Rate Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy.  United States.  doi:10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2865172.

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                    Jain, Nikhil, Simon, John, Schulte, Kevin L., Friedman, Daniel J., Diercks, David R., Packard, Corinne E., Young, David L., and Ptak, Aaron J. Mon .  
        "Tunable Bandgap GaInAsP Solar Cells With 18.7% Photoconversion Efficiency Synthesized by Low-Cost and High-Growth Rate Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy".  United States.  doi:10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2865172.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1475119.

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@article{osti_1475119,

  title        = {Tunable Bandgap GaInAsP Solar Cells With 18.7% Photoconversion Efficiency Synthesized by Low-Cost and High-Growth Rate Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy},

  author       = {Jain, Nikhil and Simon, John and Schulte, Kevin L. and Friedman, Daniel J. and Diercks, David R. and Packard, Corinne E. and Young, David L. and Ptak, Aaron J.},

  abstractNote = {As market-dominant Si solar cell technology approaches its practical efficiency limit of 27.1%, a key challenge for the photovoltaic industry is to search for a low-cost ~1.7 eV top cell that can enable cost-competitive tandems with solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency exceeding 30%. III-V semiconductors offer tunable bandgap and unparalleled efficiencies for tandem devices. However, their high manufacturing cost has been the biggest impediment for market entry. Hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) has recently reemerged as a promising low-cost alternative to incumbent metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for III-V solar cells. Here, we show the first demonstration of ~1.7 eV GaInAsP solar cells that achieve nearly 19% photoconversion efficiency synthesized by HVPE. The unprecedented growth rate of ~42 um/h achieved via HVPE (~10x faster than conventional MOCVD) allowed the device layers to be deposited in less than seven minutes. Nearly abrupt and chemically distinct heterointerfaces were attained in spite of high-growth rates, which are known to exacerbate phase separation in GaInAsP alloys. Demonstration of ideality factor of n=1 at max power point highlight the advancements in growth optimization and device design. The results presented here highlight a promising path toward tunable bandgap, high-growth rate, low-cost, and high-efficiency GaInAsP devices for direct solar-to-electricity and solar-to-hydrogen conversion.},

  doi          = {10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2865172},

  journal      = {IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics},

  number       = 6,

  volume       = 8,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2018},

  month        = {9}

}

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DOI: 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2018.2865172

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