Improving optical performance of concentrator cells by means of a deposited nanopattern layer

García‐Linares, Pablo; Domínguez, César; Delléa, O.; Kämpfe, Thomas; Jourlin, Yves; Besson, Pierre; Weick, Clément; Baudrit, Mathieu

doi:10.1063/1.4931515

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…We do not include results for beads directly on the 3JSC or SiO x /3JSC (i.e., without PDMS) because the beads do not properly adhere to the AlO x and SiO x surfaces. Moreover, our numerical model predicted a decrease in current for the 3JSC with beads but without PDMS, in agreement with previous results 22 . Further discussion is provided in the morphology study section.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Of these, only some sol–gel methods are performed under atmospheric pressure and do not require microfabrication techniques. García‐Linares et al demonstrated the concept of an ARC consisting of a layer of silica microbeads 22 deposited by a colloidal sol–gel method 23 . That study showed a 1.8% increase in short‐circuit current density ( J sc ) for normally incident irradiance on a 3JSC with 530 nm beads deposited on a silicone encapsulant, as compared with the same cell without beads.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microstructured antireflective encapsulant on concentrator solar cells

Forcade

Ritou

St-Pierre

et al. 2021

Progress in Photovoltaics

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Microstructured antireflective coatings (ARCs) can reduce reflection losses over a wide range of incidence angles when applied to the surface of a high‐efficiency III‐V photovoltaic cell in a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system. In this article, we present a microstructured ARC consisting of a monolayer of close‐packed silica microbeads partially submerged within a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) cell encapsulant for use within a reference 500× CPV submodule. Comparing a commercialized SiOx encapsulant to this microstructured coating with 25% submerged 1,000 nm‐diameter beads, angle‐dependent external quantum efficiency measurements yield a 2.6% current gain for the microstructured coating. Simulations demonstrate good agreement with measurements, predicting a 2.4% current gain for the same configuration. Extrapolating with our validated model, we estimate a maximum and achievable (within a large manufacturing tolerance) current gain of 3.4% and 2.9 ± 0.4% using 60% submerged and 10%–32% submerged 760 nm‐diameter beads, respectively.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microstructured antireflective encapsulant on concentrator solar cells

Forcade

Ritou

St-Pierre

et al. 2021

Progress in Photovoltaics

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“…Nanostructured surfaces can increase the transmission of light into the solar cell relative to flat surfaces by providing a smoothly-varying effective refractive index transition [12]. Researchers at CEA-LITEN (France) developed a colloidal dynamic fluid-flow process to create a micro-or nano-structured surface by depositing a self-organized monolayer of glass or silica beads on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer [13]. We employ an optical model to explore the benefits of beads deposited on a PDMS-encapsulated triple-junction solar cell (3JSC) in a CPV sub-module.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanostructured surface for extended temperature operating range in concentrator photovoltaic modules

Forcade

Valdivia

St-Pierre

et al. 2020

AIP Conference Proceedings

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Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems that use silicone-on-glass Fresnel lenses as their primary optical element have reduced power output at high and low lens temperatures. We show that incorporating a nanostructured surface on the solar cell stabilizes best module performance over an extended operating temperature range. We model the optical properties of a self-organized monolayer of glass beads deposited on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) encapsulated solar cell in a CPV sub-module. Our model combines transfer matrix method (TMM), rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA), and ray tracing to quickly and accurately simulate the system. We find the short-circuit current gain increases as the lens deviates from its designed working temperature for all bead sizes, and that 400 nm diameter beads submerged halfway into PMDS have the highest gain (up to 2.6%).

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“…However, such an interferometric approach is designed for normal incidence and is less effective when sunlight reaches the cell surface with an angular distribution, especially when angles are larger than 45° [5], as it is the case in some CPV systems. An alternative approach consists in micro/nanostructuring the ARC to provide a graded optical index on the cell [6], [7]. Using indoor characterizations, we have shown that the short-circuit current produced by an InGaP/InGaAs/Ge solar cell can be improved by 2.6% ± 1%, by using 1-µm-diameter silica beads embedded into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer-the so-called microbeads ARC [8], in comparison with an AlO x /TiO x /SiO 2 encapsulating ARC.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outdoor Characterization of Solar Cells With Microstructured Antireflective Coating in a Concentrator Photovoltaic Monomodule

Leoga¹,

Ritou²,

Blanchard³

et al. 2023

IEEE J. Photovoltaics

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Microstructured antireflective coatings (ARCs) have been identified as a promising solution to reduce optical losses in concentrator photovoltaics' (CPV) modules. We fabricated and tested in field a CPV module made of four monomodules with a concentration factor of 250× that embed either solar cells with microstructured encapsulating ARC or solar cells with multilayer ARC as a reference. The microstructured encapsulating ARC was made of semiburied silica beads in polydimethylsiloxane. The module was in operation for one year in the severe climatic conditions of Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, before extracting the monomodules performance. Despite a suboptimal module design, we report a monomodule efficiency of 29.7% at 900 W/m 2 for a cell with microstructured encapsulating ARC. This proves the potential of microstructured encapsulating ARC to enable high-performance CPV systems.

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Improving optical performance of concentrator cells by means of a deposited nanopattern layer

Abstract: Reduction of front-metallization grid shading in concentrator cells through laser micro-grooved cover glass

Cited by 6 publications

References 17 publications

Microstructured antireflective encapsulant on concentrator solar cells

Microstructured antireflective encapsulant on concentrator solar cells

Nanostructured surface for extended temperature operating range in concentrator photovoltaic modules

Outdoor Characterization of Solar Cells With Microstructured Antireflective Coating in a Concentrator Photovoltaic Monomodule

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