skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Progress towards a 30% efficient GaInP/Si tandem solar cells

Journal Article · · Energy Procedia (Online)

The performance of dual-junction solar cells with a Si bottom cell has been investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Simulations show that adding a top junction with an energy bandgap of 1.6 -1.9 eV to a standard silicon solar cell enables efficiencies over 38%. Currently, top junctions of GaInP (1.8 eV) are the most promising as they can achieve 1-sun efficiencies of 20.8% [1]. We fabricated mechanically stacked, four terminal GaInP/Si tandem solar cells using a transparent adhesive between the subcells. These tandem devices achieved an efficiency of 27% under AM1.5 g spectral conditions. Furthermore, higher efficiencies can be achieved by using an improved Si-bottom cell and by optimizing the dual-junction device for long-wavelength light and luminescent coupling between the two junctions.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1225305
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5J00-64775
Journal Information:
Energy Procedia (Online), Vol. 77; Related Information: Energy Procedia; ISSN 1876-6102
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 59 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (16)

Enhanced external radiative efficiency for 20.8% efficient single-junction GaInP solar cells journal July 2013
Pushing Inverted Metamorphic Multijunction Solar Cells Toward Higher Efficiency at Realistic Operating Conditions journal April 2013
Band gap-voltage offset and energy production in next-generation multijunction solar cells journal November 2010
Dual junction GaInP/GaAs solar cells grown on metamorphic SiGe/Si substrates with high open circuit voltage journal March 2006
Comparison of Direct Growth and Wafer Bonding for the Fabrication of GaInP/GaAs Dual-Junction Solar Cells on Silicon journal March 2014
Handbook Series on Semiconductor Parameters book November 1996
Impact of metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy environment on silicon bulk lifetime for III–V-on-Si multijunction solar cells journal May 2014
MOCVD growth of high efficiency current-matched tandem solar cell journal April 1997
Wafer-Bonded GaInP/GaAs//Si Solar Cells With 30% Efficiency Under Concentrated Sunlight journal May 2015
Fundamental issues in wafer bonding journal July 1999
A 31%-efficient GaAs/silicon mechanically stacked, multijunction concentrator solar cell conference January 1988
Solar cell efficiency tables journal January 1993
Low temperature Si/SiOx/pc-Si passivated contacts to n-type Si solar cells
  • Nemeth, Bill; Young, David L.; Yuan, Hao-Chih
  • 2014 IEEE 40th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 2014 IEEE 40th Photovoltaic Specialist Conference (PVSC) https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2014.6925675
conference June 2014
Epitaxial Lift-Off for large area thin film III/V devices journal March 2005
A monolithic three-terminal GaInAsP/GaInAs tandem solar cell journal December 2009
Non-linear luminescent coupling in series-connected multijunction solar cells journal June 2012

Cited By (9)

Innovations in Urban Climate Governance: Voluntary Programs for Low-Carbon Buildings and Cities journal July 2017
Raising the one-sun conversion efficiency of III–V/Si solar cells to 32.8% for two junctions and 35.9% for three junctions journal August 2017
Highly efficient and durable III–V semiconductor-catalyst photocathodes via a transparent protection layer journal January 2020
A review of recent progress in heterogeneous silicon tandem solar cells journal March 2018
Analytical Modeling of Dual-Junction Tandem Solar Cells Based on an InGaP/GaAs Heterojunction Stacked on a Ge Substrate journal April 2019
Nanoscale electrical analyses of axial-junction GaAsP nanowires for solar cell applications journal January 2020
Review of Power Device for Solar-Powered Aircraft Applications journal October 2019
Electroluminescent refrigeration by ultra-efficient GaAs light-emitting diodes journal May 2018
Zuverlässigkeit optoelektronischer Komponenten book January 2020