Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T21:17:54.339Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

High-Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Frank Dimroth  and
Sarah Kurtz
Get access

Abstract

The efficiency of a solar cell can be increased by stacking multiple solar cells with a range of bandgap energies, resulting in a multijunction solar cell with a maximum the oretical efficiency limit of 86.8% III–V compound semiconductors are good candidates for fabricating such multijunction solar cells for two reasons: they can be grown with excellent material quality; and their bandgaps span a wide spectral range, mostly with direct bandgaps, implying a high absorption coefficient. These factors are the reason for the success of this technology, which has achieved 39% efficiency, the highest solar-to-electric conversion efficiency of any photovoltaic device to date. This article explores the materials science of today's high-efficiency multijunction cells and describes challenges associated with new materials developments and how they may lead to next-generation, multijunction solar cell concepts.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Bulletin , Volume 32 , Issue 3: Advanced Inorganic Materials for Photovoltaics , March 2007 , pp. 230 - 235
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Hering, G., Photon Int. (July 2005) p. 50.Google Scholar
2.King, R.R., Law, D.C., Fetzer, C.M., Sherif, R.A., Edmondson, K.M., Kurtz, S., Kinsey, G.S., Cotal, H.L., Krut, D.D., Ermer, J.H., and Karam, N.H., Proc. 20th Eur. Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conf. (Barcelona, Spain, 2005) p. 118.Google Scholar
3.Bailey, S.G., Raffaelle, R., and Emery, K., Prog. Photovolt. Res. Appl. 10 (2002) p. 399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Shockley, W. and Queisser, H.J., J. Appl. Phys. 32 (1961) p. 510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Marti, A. and Araujo, G.L., Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 43 (1996) p. 203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Brown, A.S. and Green, M.A., Prog. Photovolt. Res. Appl. 10 (2002) p. 299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Shockley, W.B. and Read, W.T.J., Phys. Rev. 87 (5) (1952) p. 835.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Dimroth, F., Phys. Status Solidi C 3 (3) (2006) p. 373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Bett, A.W., Baur, C., Dimroth, F., Schöne, J., Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 836 (2005) L6.4.1.Google Scholar
10.Wanlass, M., Ahrenkiel, P., Albin, D., Carapella, J., Duda, A., Emery, K., Friedman, D., Geisz, J., Jones, K., Kibbler, A., Kiehl, J., Kurtz, S., McMahon, W., Moriarty, T., Olson, J., Ptak, A., Romero, M., and Ward, S., Proc. WCPEC-4 (Waikoloa, Hawaii, 2006) p. 729.Google Scholar