Nanowire Solar Cells: A New Radiation Hard PV Technology for Space Applications

Espinet‐González, Pilar; Åberg, Ingvar; Borgström, Magnus T.; Samuelson, Lars; Atwater, Harry A.; Barrigón, Enrique; Chen, Yang; Otnes, Gaute; Vescovi, Giuliano; Mann, Colin J.; Lloyd, John; Walker, Don; Kelzenberg, Michael D.

doi:10.1109/jphotov.2020.2966979

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Photovoltaics (PV) is a sustainable, low cost, and scalable technology for solar energy conversion into electricity, which will play a significant role to meet the ever-growing world electricity demands. , III–V NW-based solar cells are a very interesting approach to enable highly efficient, low cost devices − for many different applications such as tandem configuration on Si solar cells for highly efficient devices, the Internet of things or space missions …”

Section: Iii–v Nanowire Growth and Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthesis and Applications of III–V Nanowires

et al. 2019

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Low-dimensional semiconductor materials structures, where nanowires are needle-like one-dimensional examples, have developed into one of the most intensely studied fields of science and technology. The subarea described in this review is compound semiconductor nanowires, with the materials covered limited to III−V materials (like GaAs, InAs, GaP, InP,...) and III-nitride materials (GaN, InGaN, AlGaN,...). We review the way in which several innovative synthesis methods constitute the basis for the realization of highly controlled nanowires, and we combine this perspective with one of how the different families of nanowires can contribute to applications. One reason for the very intense research in this field is motivated by what they can offer to main-stream semiconductors, by which ultrahigh performing electronic (e.g., transistors) and photonic (e.g., photovoltaics, photodetectors or LEDs) technologies can be merged with silicon and CMOS. Other important aspects, also covered in the review, deals with synthesis methods that can lead to dramatic reduction of cost of fabrication and opportunities for up-scaling to mass production methods.

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Section: Iii–v Nanowire Growth and Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthesis and Applications of III–V Nanowires

et al. 2019

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“…Most importantly, however, our formalism allows heat conduction to enter the analysis of the PV effect. We expect that this inclusion is critical for the advancement of any PV process with an ample supply of radiative heat or with a limited ability to conduct heat such as advanced space solar cells, 20,[23][24][25] and concentrated solar cells for outer space applications. 26,27…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat conduction effects in photovoltaic solar cells

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Niv

2022

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The efficiency of a photovoltaic converter (solar cell) illuminated by a thermal source (sun) is commonly determined with Shockley and Queisser’s approach. The strength of this approach lies in its simplicity: All one needs to know is the solar cell’s bandgap, and the efficiency emerges from a detailed balance equation of the electron-hole pair generation and depletion rates at a given temperature. This article studies a single junction cell in outer space to show that a detailed balance approach is not always thermodynamically compatible. We then show that this inconstancy resolves once the cell’s sub-bandgap emission and absorption are included in its energy balance. Generalizing this result, we propose a unified formulation for a photovoltaic process that maintains its detailed balance constraints while not giving away thermodynamics’ first and second laws at all times and under any circumstances. Most importantly, our unified model allows heat conduction consideration to enter the photovoltaic analysis. Therefore, the proposed approach is critical for a single-junction cell and every photovoltaic process with an ample radiative power supply or limited conduction of heat such as concentrated space solar, thermo-photovoltaics thermoradiative, and thermophotonics power schemes.

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“…28 Early-stage efforts have shown promising potential for radiation tolerance in III-V nanowire solar cells and have provided design guidelines for further improvements in specific power for space applications. 29 But power generated from sunlight does not have to be consumed in space; it could be sent to Earth. The idea of harnessing the full intensity of the sun in space, unaffected by day-night transitions and atmospheric losses, and then wirelessly transmitting it to the ground is more than half a century old.…”

Section: Harnessing Sunlight In Spacementioning

confidence: 99%