N. A. Kalyuzhnyy

Germanium Subcells for Multijunction GaInP/GaInAs/Ge Solar Cells

Photovoltaic converters based on n-GaInP/n-p-Ge heterostructures grown by the OMVPE under different conditions of formation of the p-n junction are studied. The heterostructures are intended for use as narrow-gap subcells of the GaInP/GaInAs/Ge three-junction solar cells. It is shown that, in Ge p-tn junctions, along with the diffusion mechanism, the tunneling mechanism of the current flow exists; therefore, the two-diode electrical equivalent circuit of the Ge p-n junction is used. The diode parameters are determined for both mechanisms from the analysis of both dark and “light” current-voltage dependences. It is shown that the elimination of the component of the tunneling current allows one to increase the efficiency of the Ge subcell by ∼1% with conversion of nonconcentrated solar radiation. The influence of the tunneling current on the efficiency of the Ge-based devices can be in practice reduced to zero at photogenerated current density of ∼1.5 A/cm2 due to the use of the concentrated solar radiation.

AlGaAs/GaAs Photovoltaic Cells with InGaAs Quantum Dots

We studied the different carrier kinetic mechanisms involved into the interband absorption of quantum dots (QDs) by photocurrent spectroscopy. It was shown that in vertically coupled InGaAs QDs an effective carrier emission, collection and separation take place due to minizone formation. The possibility for the incorporation of vertically-coupled QDs into solar cells (SC) without any deterioration of structural quality of the p-i-n-junction has been shown. Due to the additional absorption of solar spectrum in QD media and the subsequent effective separation of photogenerated carriers, an increase (~1%) in short-circuit current density (Jsc) for the QD SC-devices has been demonstrated. However the insertion of QDs into intrinsic region reduced the open circuit voltage (Voc) of such devices. Moving the QD array in the base layer as well as including the Bragg reflector (BR) centered on 920 nm resulted in increase of the Voc. Moreover an improved absorption in the QD media for SC with BR led to further increase of Jsc (~1%). The efficiency for QD SCs at the level of 25% (30 suns AM1.5D) has been demonstrated.

Photovoltaic laser-power converter based on AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures

Photovoltaic laser-power converters for a wavelength of λ = 809 nm are developed and fabricated on the basis of single-junction AlGaAs/GaAs structures grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. The parameters of the photovoltaic structure constituted by an optical “window” and a cladding layer are optimized by mathematical simulation. Photovoltaic converters with areas of S = 10.2 and 12.2 mm2 and 4 cm2 are fabricated and studied. For photocells with S = 10.2 mm2, the monochromatic efficiency (η) was 60% at a current density of 5.9 A/cm2. A photovoltaic module with a working voltage of 4 V (η = 56.3% at 0.34 A/cm2) is assembled.

Study of minority carrier diffusion lengths in photoactive layers of multijunction solar cells

A technique for determining a minority carrier’s diffusion length in photoactive III–V layers of solar cells by approximating their spectral characteristics is presented. Single-junction GaAs, Ge and multi-junction GaAs/Ge, GaInP/GaAs, and GaInP/GaInAs/Ge solar cells fabricated by hydride metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy (H-MOVPE) have been studied. The dependences of the minority carrier diffusion length on the doping level of p-Ge and n-GaAs are determined. It is shown that the parameters of solid-state diffusion of phosphorus atoms to the p-Ge substrate from the n-GaInP nucleation layer are independent of the thickness of the latter within 35–300 nm. It is found that the diffusion length of subcells of multijunction structures in Ga(In)As layers is smaller in comparison with that of single-junction structures.

The Segmental Approximation in Multijunction Solar Cells

The segmental approach has been considered to analyze dark and light I-V curves. The photovoltaic (PV) dependence of the open-circuit voltage (Voc), the maximum power point voltage (Vm), the efficiency (η) on the photogenerated current (Jg), or on the sunlight concentration ratio (X), are analyzed, as well as other photovoltaic characteristics of multijunction solar cells. The characteristics being analyzed are split into monoexponential (linear in the semilogarithmic scale) portions, each of which is characterized by a definite value of the ideality factor A and preexponential current J0. The monoexponentiality ensures advantages, since at many steps of the analysis, one can use the analytical dependences instead of numerical methods. In this work, an experimental procedure for obtaining the necessary parameters has been proposed, and an analysis of GaInP/GaInAs/Ge triple-junction solar cell characteristics has been carried out. It has been shown that up to the sunlight concentration ratios, at which the efficiency maximum is achieved, the results of calculation of dark and light I-V curves by the segmental method fit well with the experimental data. An important consequence of this work is the feasibility of acquiring the resistanceless dark and light I-V curves, which can be used for obtaining the I-V curves characterizing the losses in the transport part of a solar cell.

Interface properties of GaInP/Ge hetero-structure sub-cells of multi-junction solar cells

The interface properties of the GaInP/Ge hetero-structure solar cells were studied. It was found that an undesirable potential barrier for the majority carriers could occur at the n-GaInP/n-Ge hetero-interface during the growth of multi-junction solar cells. The potential barrier at the GaInP/Ge interface leads to S-shape behaviour of I?V curves at low temperatures, which was observed either for the single junctions or for the multi-junction solar cells containing the n-GaInP/n-Ge interface. The values of the effective barrier height and width as 0.12???0.05?eV and 45?55?nm, respectively, were estimated by admittance spectroscopy and by C?V profiling measurements.

Properties of interfaces in GaInP solar cells

The effect of the properties of interfaces with Group-III phosphides on characteristics of GaInP solar cells has been studied. It is shown that the large valence band offset at the p-GaAs/p-AlInP interface imposes fundamental limitations on the use of p-AlInP layers as a wide-band-gap window in p-n structures of solar cells operating at ratios of high solar light concentration. It is demonstrated that characteristics of p-n solar cells can be, in principle, improved by using a double-layer wide-band-gap window constituted by p-Al0.8Ga0.2As and p-(Al0.6Ga0.4)0.51In0.49P layers.

Edge-emitting InGaAs/GaAs laser with high temperature stability of wavelength and threshold current

We have investigated an edge-emitting tilted wave laser (TWL) with the active region based on GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells. In the TWL the wavelength stabilization is based on the coupling of the laser active waveguide cavity to a specially introduced thick epitaxial layer and the emission wavelength is defined by the combined cavity mode preferably by a single dominating mode. The TWL wafer has been grown by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition. Laser parameters have been investigated both in pulsed and CW mode in the temperature range of 15–60 °C. In the temperature window of 20–50 °C under CW excitation the lasers have shown high wavelength temperature stability with the temperature shift of 0.05 nm K−1 and threshold current stability with the characteristic temperature of 500 K. The data obtained prove the concept of thermal stability in tilted wave lasers.

III-phosphides heterojunction solar cell interface properties from admittance spectroscopy

GaInP solar cell interfaces were characterized by admittance spectroscopy. Admittance spectroscopy is shown to be sensitive to the band structure at the heterojunction interfaces. In particular, a correlation between activation energy of the capacitance step in a capacitance versus temperature plot and effective potential barrier for majority carriers is demonstrated, indicating a new method for the determination of potential barriers at heterointerfaces. Using this technique, the effective potential barrier for holes at the p-Al0.53In0.47P/p-GaAs interface is found to be equal to 0.6 eV. Effects of interface defects and spreading resistance in the emitter of solar cells are illustrated and discussed. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

Determination of the technological growth parameters in the InAs-GaAs system for the MOCVD synthesis of “Multimodal” InAs QDs

The specific features of growth in the InAs-GaAs system by the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition method are studied. The dependences of the In content of the InxGa1 − xAs solid solution and of the InAs growth rate on the molar flow of In in a wide temperature range (480–700°C) are determined. The growth processes of InAs quantum dots (QDs) on GaAs with different surface misorientations are examined. The conditions are found in which InAs QDs are formed with a small number of defects and at a high density on a GaAs “sublayer” grown at a high rate. An epitaxial technique is developed for the synthesis of InAs QDs with multimodal size distribution and an extended photoluminescence spectrum, which can be effectively used in designing solar cells with QDs in the active region.