MODERN ARCHITECTURES AND TECHNOLOGIES OF HIGH-EFFICIENCT SOLAR CELLS IN III-V HETEROSTRUCTURES FOR SPACE AND GROUND APPLICATIONS
N. A. Pakhanov1, V. M. Andreev2, M. Z. Shvarts2, O. P. Pchelyakov1
1Rzhanov Semiconductor Physics Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, prosp. Akademika Lavrent'eva 13, Novosibirsk, 630090
2Ioffe Physco-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Politekhnicheskaya 26, St. Petersburg, 194021
Keywords: архитектуры и технологии солнечных элементов III-V, солнечные элементы III-V/Si, солнечные элементы III-V/Si-Ge-Sn, многопереходные солнечные элементы, субэлементы, метаморфные слои, architectures and technologies of III-V solar cells, III-V/Si solar cells, III-V/Si-Ge-Sn solar cells, multi-junction solar cells, subcells, metamorphic layers
Abstract
Multi-junctions solar cells (SCs) based on III-V compounds are the most effective converters of solar energy to electricity and are widely used in space solar batteries and ground photovoltaic modules with radiation concentrators. All modern high-performance III-V solar cells are based on the long-developed three-junction III-V heterostructure of GaInP/GaInAs/Ge and have practically limiting efficiency for this architecture 30 and 41.6 % for space and ground-based concentrated radiation, respectively. Currently, an increase in efficiency is achieved by changing over from 3-junction to more efficient 4-, 5-, and even 6-junction III-V architectures: growth technologies and methods of post-growth processing of structures have been developed, new materials with optimal forbidden zones) have been designed, and crystallographic parameters have been improved. The proposed review considers recent achievements and prospects for the main research areas and improvement of the architectures, technologies, and materials used in laboratories to develop solar cells with the best conversion efficiency: 35.8 % for space, 38.8 % for terrestrial, and 46.1 % for concentrated solar radiation. The physical properties of III-V compounds have been well studied and technologies for their production have been developed. The maximum efficiency of photoelectric conversion of SCs based on III-V heterostructures for extra-atmospheric solar radiation reaches 35.8 % [1], which determines their practical non-alternative use in space. In terrestrial conditions, the record efficiency of solar cells are 38.8 % for nonconcentrated (AM1.5G) and 46.0 % for concentrated (AM1.5D) radiations [1]. It is supposed that by 2020, the efficiency will approach 40 % for direct space radiation and 50 % for concentrated terrestrial solar radiation. This review reviews the architecture and technologies of solar cells with record-high efficiency for terrestrial and space applications. It should be noted that in terrestrial power plants, the use of III-V SCs is economically advantageous in systems with solar radiation concentrators.
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