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Analysis of Tunnel Junction Suitable for 4000 Suns in Tandem High Efficiency Solar Cell Structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Donggeun Jung ,
Conrad Zachary Carlin ,
John R. Hauser  and
Salah M. Bedair
Donggeun Jung
Affiliation:
djung@skku.ac.kr, Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Physics, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Conrad Zachary Carlin
Affiliation:
czcarlin@ncsu.edu
John R. Hauser
Affiliation:
bedair@ncsu.edu, North Carolina State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Salah M. Bedair
Affiliation:
hauser@ncsu.edu, North Carolina State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
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Abstract

The road to achieve ultra high efficiency is through multi-junction solar cells operating at high solar concentrations, larger than 1000 suns. Critical to the success of this approach is the development of tunnel junctions (TJ) that serve as electrically low loss interconnections, yet are optically transparent, using high band gap semiconductor material systems. We have previously reported the fabrication of a TJ made of n+-InGaP/ p+-AlGaAs with a band gap about 1.9 eV using Se and C doping, respectively. This TJ structure has a peak current density of 88 A/cm2 allowing it to be implemented in a three junction cell structure at solar concentrations as high as 4000 suns (x4000). Almost all reported conversion efficiencies higher than 40% have used this tunnel junction. This very high peak current density is unexpected in a high band gap material system, which is good news for the multi junction solar community. This seems to be due to the fact that the InGaP/AlGaAs interface has a staggered band line up. We will present the effect of this band line up at the heterointerface and its effect on the width of the depletion region and the peak current density. We also compare the current result from this heterostructure junction with an artificial homojunction made of n+-AlGaAs/ p+-AlGaAs doped to the same levels as that of the heterojunction. Results from the homojunction showed that peak current density is about one half of that obtained from the heterojunction at the same doping levels. A reasonable match between experimental result and the model was obtained when a value of 150 meV was used for ΔEc, the conduction band discontinuity at the interface. Both experiment and theory predicted that at a current density of about 80 A/cm2 with only about a few tens of meV drop across the TJ. This will have a minimal effect on the overall efficiency of the tandem solar cell structure when used at high solar concentrations.

Keywords

photovoltaicsimulationIII-V
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1210: Symposium Q – Photovoltaic Materials and Manufacturing Issues II , 2009 , 1210-Q04-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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