In this work we experimentally investigated the use of epitaxial multilayer dielectric mirrors (Bragg reflectors) as back-surface reflectors in thin-fdm GaAs solar cells on GaAs and silicon substrates.Ab,Ga&/&,,Gq,,,As Bragg reflectors were grown by low-pressure MOCVD on GaAs substrates and shown to exhibit near-ideal optical reflectance and excellent structural perfection. Thin GaAs solar cells grown on Bragg reflectors showed increases in short-circuit current (0.5 to 1 .O mA/cm*) and efficiency (0.7 percentage points) relative to cells without back reflectors. Efficiencies of 24.7% at one sun AM1.5 were measured for GaAs cells only 2 microns thick on Bragg reflectors. In addition to the optical enhancements, Bragg reflectors also appear to improve the defect structure of GaAs-on-Si solar cells. This approach should lead to improved efficiency for GaAs-on-Si solar cells and improved radiation resistance for GaAs cells.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.