Multijunction solar cell iso-junction dark current study

Author

Reinhardt, Kitt C. ; Mayberry, Clay S. ; Lewis, Brendan P. ; Kreifels, Theodore L.

Author_Institution

Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Res. Lab., Kirtland AFB, NM, USA

fYear

2000

fDate

2000

Firstpage

1118

Lastpage

1121

Abstract

Single-crystal multijunction solar cells show great promise for achieving 30-40% conversion efficiency under air mass zero (AM0) conditions, and have been identified as an enabling technology for next-generation government and commercial satellites. In this note we report on an approach to better understand the dark current-voltage (I-V) behavior in multijunction solar cells and it´s effect on conversion efficiency. This technique is based on determining the impact of dark-current behavior within individual p-n junctions on monolithic triple-junction GaInP₂/GaAs/Ge solar cell performance. The GaInP₂/GaAs/Ge tandem solar cells used in this study were developed, in part, under the US Air Force´s Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program and exhibited measured efficiencies of 24-25% (AM0)

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; electric current measurement; elemental semiconductors; gallium arsenide; gallium compounds; germanium; indium compounds; p-n heterojunctions; solar cells; space vehicle power plants; 24 to 25 percent; AM0 conditions; GaInP₂/GaAs/Ge tandem solar cells; US Air Force Manufacturing Technology Program; air mass zero conditions; commercial satellites; conversion efficiency; dark current-voltage behavior; enabling technology; government satellites; monolithic triple-junction GaInP₂/GaAs/Ge solar cell performance; multijunction solar cell iso-junction dark current; p-n junctions; single-crystal multijunction solar cells; space solar cells; Dark current; Diodes; Gallium arsenide; Laboratories; P-n junctions; Photovoltaic cells; Space technology; Space vehicles; Tunneling; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2000. Conference Record of the Twenty-Eighth IEEE

Conference_Location

Anchorage, AK

ISSN

0160-8371

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5772-8

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/PVSC.2000.916083

Filename

916083