23.5% thin-film space concentrator cells

Author

Dingle, B.D. ; Gale, R.P. ; McClelland, R.W. ; Spitzer, M.B. ; Curtis, H.B. ; Brinker, D.J.

Author_Institution

Kopin Corp., Taunton, MA, USA

fYear

1990

fDate

21-25 May 1990

Firstpage

1346

Abstract

Thin-film AlGaAs-GaAs double-heterostructure concentrator cells were fabricated which exhibit total-area conversion efficiencies as high as 23.5% AM0 at 100 suns, 25°C. This is one of the best space concentrators measured to date at NASA and is designed for a thin-film cell without a prismatic coverglass. This solar cell structure consists of a GaAs/AlGaAs film less than 5 μm thick mounted to a glass cover/superstrate, with coplanar back-side contacts. The coverglass is not prismatic. The CLEFT process, a method for mechanically separating epitaxial. layers from their substrate, is used to process these cells into thin films. The advantages of single-crystal GaAs are thereby retained, while reducing weight and cutting cost by allowing for substrate reuse. Thin-film cells also have better thermal management capabilities and can be stacked for use in tandem structures. Cell fabrication and performance are described, and directions for further improvements are identified

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; aluminium compounds; gallium arsenide; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; solar energy concentrators; 100 suns; 23.5 percent; 25 degC; AM0; AlGaAs-GaAs solar cells; CLEFT process; NASA; coplanar back-side contacts; double-heterostructure; glass cover; glass superstrate; solar cell fabrication; solar cell performance; tandem structures; thermal management capabilities; thin-film space concentrator cells; Costs; Fabrication; Gallium arsenide; Glass; NASA; Photovoltaic cells; Substrates; Sun; Thermal management; Transistors;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1990., Conference Record of the Twenty First IEEE

Conference_Location

Kissimmee, FL

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/PVSC.1990.111830

Filename

111830