Title :
Progress in triple-junction amorphous silicon alloy solar cells with improved current mismatch in component cells
Author :
Yang, Jeffrey ; Xu, Xixiang ; Banerjee, Arindam ; Guha, Subhendu
Author_Institution :
United Solar Syst. Corp., Troy, MI, USA
Abstract :
We have achieved a new world record stable efficiency of 11.8% for amorphous silicon alloy solar cells using a spectrum-splitting, triple-junction structure. In addition to our previously reported key factors leading to high performance multijunction solar cells, we have improved the current matching among the component cells. We have designed the triple structure such that the top cell, which usually exhibits the highest fill factor, remains to be the current-limiting cell in the degraded state. One critical requirement for achieving the desired current matching without sacrificing the triple cell current is to obtain a high quality narrow bandgap bottom cell capable of producing sufficient red current. Details on this narrow bandgap amorphous silicon germanium alloy cell as well as stability data on the triple-junction cell are presented
Keywords :
Ge-Si alloys; amorphous semiconductors; elemental semiconductors; p-n junctions; solar cells; stability; 11.8 percent; Si-Ge; amorphous silicon alloy solar cells; component cells; current mismatch; current-limiting cell; fill factor; high performance multijunction solar cells; high quality narrow bandgap bottom cell; spectrum-splitting structure; stability data; stable efficiency; top cell; triple-junction solar cells; Amorphous silicon; Cobalt alloys; Degradation; Germanium alloys; Hydrogen; Photonic band gap; Photovoltaic cells; Silicon alloys; Solar system; Stability;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1996., Conference Record of the Twenty Fifth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Washington, DC
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3166-4
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1996.564308
