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Metamorphic epitaxy for multijunction solar cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2016

Ryan M. France ,
Frank Dimroth ,
Tyler J. Grassman  and
Richard R. King
Ryan M. France
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA; [email protected]
Frank Dimroth
Affiliation:
Department III–V Epitaxy and Solar Cells, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Germany; [email protected]
Tyler J. Grassman
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, USA; [email protected]
Richard R. King
Affiliation:
School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, USA; [email protected]
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Abstract

Multijunction solar cells have proven to be capable of extremely high efficiencies by combining multiple semiconductor materials with bandgaps tuned to the solar spectrum. Reaching the optimum set of semiconductors often requires combining high-quality materials with different lattice constants into a single device, a challenge particularly suited for metamorphic epitaxy. In this article, we describe different approaches to metamorphic multijunction solar cells, including traditional upright metamorphic, state-of-the-art inverted metamorphic, and forward-looking multijunction designs on silicon. We also describe the underlying materials science of graded buffers that enables metamorphic subcells with low dislocation densities. Following nearly two decades of research, recent efforts have demonstrated high-quality lattice-mismatched multijunction solar cells with very little performance loss related to the mismatch, enabling solar-to-electric conversion efficiencies over 45%.

Keywords

photovoltaicepitaxydislocations
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Bulletin , Volume 41 , Issue 3: Metamorphic Epitaxial Materials , March 2016 , pp. 202 - 209
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

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