As solar cells from direct semiconductors improve, i.e. become more radiative, luminescent coupling becomes more and more relevant. This has a strong impact on artifacts in EQE measurements of multi-junction solar cells, which e.g. is a challenge, when characterizing III-V//Si multi-junction solar cells. By measuring the response of these cells under varying illumination conditions, this effect can be understood and EQE measurements can be corrected.
The standard method to measure subcell external quantum efficiency (EQE) for multi-junction photovoltaics (MJPV) uses light biasing to bring each subcell into current limitation. This method is suitable when each subcell absorbs in a different wavelength range. However, isolating individual subcells via light biasing is difficult for semitransparent subcells with overlapping absorptance, as in MJPV designed for monochromatic irradiance in power-by-light systems. For these cells, the standard measurement approach falls short. Here, we present an alternative technique that incorporates a negative bias voltage to overcome this limitation. We demonstrate subcell EQE measurements in MJPV devices with up to six GaAs subcells.
KEYWORDS: Solar cells, Gallium arsenide, External quantum efficiency, Solar concentrators, Solar energy, Energy efficiency, Photovoltaics, Compound semiconductors, Group III-V semiconductors
III-V compound semiconductors provide a high degree of flexibility in bandgap engineering and can be realized through epitaxial growth in high quality. This enables versatile spectral matching of photovoltaic absorber materials as well as the fabrication of complex layer structures of vertically stacked subcells and tunnel junctions. This work presents progress in two fields of applications of III-V photovoltaics: concentrator solar cells and photonic power converters. We present latest results in advancing solar energy conversion efficiencies to 47.6% based on a wafer-bonded four-junction concentrator solar cell. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the latest development results regarding photonic power converters, showcasing several record devices. We briefly introduce a new metallization technique using electro-plated silver for handling high currents and first 10-junction InGaAs devices for optical telecommunication wavelengths. Overall, this paper highlights the potential of III-V compound semiconductors in achieving high efficiencies and spectral matching, offering promising prospects for future applications.
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