Strain Balanced Quantum Well Monolithic Tandem Solar Cells

A. Ioannides (1) , T.N.D. Tibbits (1) , J.P. Connolly (2) , D.B. Bushnell , K.W.J. Barnham (1) , C. Calder (3) , G. Hill (3) , J.S. Roberts (3) , G. Smekens

1 Blackett Laboratory
2 LECA - Laboratoire d'Electrochimie et de Chimie Analytique
3 EPSRC - National Centre for III-V Technologies

The effect of incorporating strain balanced multi-quantum well structures in InGaP/GaAs monolithic tandem solar cells is investigated. At present the majority of InGaP/GaAs tandem cells are current limited by the bottom GaAs junction. Incorporation of multi-quantum well structures in the GaAs bottom junction extends the cell absorption to longer wavelengths. This allows current matched dual junction tandem cells to achieve higher efficiencies. InGaP/GaAs tandem cells have been studied by overgrowing different top cells on two similar quantum well structures and compared to a InGaP/GaAs control cell. A current matched top cell is presented and efficiency enhancement of a tandem by a quantum well cell demonstrated experimentally for the first time.

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

A. Ioannides, T.N.D. Tibbits, J.P. Connolly, D.B. Bushnell, K.W.J. Barnham, et al.. Strain Balanced Quantum Well Monolithic Tandem Solar Cells. 2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conference, May 2006, Waikoloa, United States. pp.753-756, ⟨10.1109/WCPEC.2006.279565⟩. ⟨hal-02642932⟩