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Degradation of Ge subcells by thermal load during the growth of multijunction solar cells
Author(s) -
Barrigón Enrique,
Ochoa Mario,
García Ivan,
Barrutia Laura,
Algora Carlos,
ReyStolle Ignacio
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.2948
Subject(s) - common emitter , materials science , optoelectronics , solar cell , degradation (telecommunications) , thermal , quantum efficiency , doping , wavelength , germanium , layer (electronics) , nanotechnology , silicon , electrical engineering , physics , meteorology , engineering
Germanium solar cells are used as bottom subcells in many multijunction solar cell designs. The question remains whether the thermal load originated by the growth of the upper layers of the multijunction solar cell structure affects the Ge subcell performance. Here, we report and analyze the performance degradation of the Ge subcell due to such thermal load in lattice‐matched GaInP/Ga(In)As/Ge triple‐junction solar cells. Specifically, we have detected a quantum efficiency loss in the wavelength region corresponding to the emitter layer (which accounts for up to 20% loss in equivalent J SC ) and up to 55 mV loss in V OC of the Ge subcell as compared with analogous devices grown as single‐junction Ge solar cells on the same type of substrates. We prove experimentally that there is no direct correlation between the loss in V OC and the doping level of the base. Our simulations show that both the J SC and V OC losses are consistent with a degradation of the minority carrier properties at the emitter, in particular at the initial nanometers of the emitter next to the emitter/window heterointerface. In addition, we also rule out the gradual emitter profile shape as the origin of the degradation observed. Our findings underscore the potential to obtain higher efficiencies in Ge‐based multijunction solar cells if strategies to mitigate the impact of the thermal load are taken into consideration.