Realizing the next generation of CPV cells using transfer printing

Lumb, Matthew P.; Schmieder, Kenneth J.; González, M.; Mack, Shawn; Yakes, Michael K.; Meitl, Matthew A.; Burroughs, Scott; Ebert, Chris; Bennett, Mitchell F.; Forbes, David V.; Sheng, Xing; Li, Jinghua; Walters, Robert J.

doi:10.1063/1.4931518

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Once each i‐VTJ device is available, the final MBG‐i‐VTJ could be manufactured by mechanically stacking each i‐VTJ. This is also supported by the latest techniques to produce mechanically staked cells, such as transfer printing, which has shown reliable results to develop microscale triple‐junction MJ cells with η ≈ 45% at a C ratio ≈ 840 suns 45 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…This is also supported by the latest techniques to produce mechanically staked cells, such as transfer printing, which has shown reliable results to develop microscale triple-junction MJ cells with η ≈ 45% at a C ratio ≈ 840 suns. 45 A key issue of the proposed device is related to its cost reduction capacity. In this sense, it is worth mentioning that the microscaling of CPV is also fundamental to achieve this goal at UH levels.…”

Section: F I G U R E 2 Width Of the Intrinsic Layer Versus The Efficiency And Sun Concentration For The Intrinsic-vertical-tunnel-junctiomentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ultra‐efficient intrinsic‐vertical‐tunnel‐junction structures for next‐generation concentrator solar cells

Seoane

Férnández

Almonacid

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

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The efficiency of solar cells can be enhanced by increasing the light intensity and/or the number of bandgaps of the structure. However, current solar cells cannot fully exploit these two factors because of various critical drawbacks. Here, we show a novel microscale, that is, side ≈ 0.5 mm, vertical solar cell structure that does not suffer the series resistance and bandgap limitations issues of current devices. The preliminary structures investigated show extreme efficiencies, >40%, at ultrahigh concentration factors of 15 000 suns. In addition, future designs with a better bandgap configuration are expected to deliver cells with efficiencies far above 50% at extreme light intensities. This early design offers a fast and reliable route to push the efficiency towards the maximum solar conversion limit and represents a promising way to develop new‐generation ultraefficient and low‐cost concentrator photovoltaic systems.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: F I G U R E 2 Width Of the Intrinsic Layer Versus The Efficiency And Sun Concentration For The Intrinsic-vertical-tunnel-junctiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultra‐efficient intrinsic‐vertical‐tunnel‐junction structures for next‐generation concentrator solar cells

Seoane

Férnández

Almonacid

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To obtain highly efficient, sub-mm sized solar cells certain requirements must be met: operation under high-intensity light flux, reduced perimeter recombination losses, low shading losses without incurring excessive resistive losses, compatibility with single-sided contacts, and low material loss due to die singulation. In the development of micro-solar cells, we can mention works from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), [59][60][61] Sherbrooke University, [50] Instituto de Energia Solar (IES-UPM), [62] Fraunhofer ISE, [49] and Sharp. [63] Perimeter recombination is influenced by the perimeter area of a solar cells' active layers, [47] simulation studies have shown significant losses at low concentrations.…”

Section: Micro Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Micro‐Scale Concentrating Photovoltaics: A Scalable Path Toward High‐Efficiency, Low‐Cost Solar Power

Jost

Juejun

et al. 2023

Solar RRL

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The global energy market is seeing increases in the electricity demand of a couple of percentage points annually. The photovoltaic (PV) industry is also growing rapidly every year. One of the PV technologies is concentrator photovoltaics (CPV). CPV uses high‐efficiency multijunction solar cells and optics to concentrate sunlight, thereby significantly reducing the amount of semiconductor material needed. Yet, due to the high upfont manufacturing cost of CPV, it currently does not offer a competitive price against silicon PV. With this a new branch is introduced to the industry, micro‐CPV, which can be broadly explained as the miniaturization of the solar cells and optical components. The motivation for micro‐CPV is lowering the cost by decreasing the material volume and enabling new system architectures and high‐throughput manufacturing methods, while still maintaining high electrical efficiencies, taking advantage of a lower thermal load, shorter optical paths, lower resistive losses, and lower material volumes. Herein, a comprehensive review of the technological advances is presented, key synergies between micro‐CPV and other industries sharing similar challenges are identified, exemplified by micro‐light emitting diodes display manufacturing. New assembly process development in these industries will facilitate commercial adoption of micro‐CPV with continued miniaturization while driving down the cost.

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Fabrication of high-performance lens arrays for micro-concentrator photovoltaics using ultraviolet imprinting

Jost,

Jacobo-Martín,

Vallerotto

et al. 2024

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

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Micro-concentrator photovoltaics (micro-CPV) is a cutting-edge CPV approach aimed at increasing the efficiency and reducing the cost and carbon footprint of solar electricity by downscaling concentrator solar cells and optics. The reduced size of micro-CPV provides several advantages over conventional CPV, including shorter optical paths and lower temperature and resistive losses in the cell, resulting in higher electrical efficiencies. This may increase the energy yield per area compared to conventional CPV or silicon modules. Cost reduction is achieved through material savings and the use of continuous manufacturing methods enabled by the tiny size of cells and optics, such as roll-to-roll (R2R) and roll-to-plate (R2P) ultraviolet (UV) imprinting for optics production. However, adapting these processes to large-area arrays of Fresnel micro-lenses with no wasted areas and high efficiency remains a challenge. In this study, we present a comprehensive methodology for the development of micro-CPV optics with full area coverage—from design and mastering to up-scaling, tooling, and replication. The methodology involves designing a non-rotationally symmetric elementary insert tailored to ultraviolet imprinting. Crucially, multiple inserts are originated via precision machining and recombined to form a single array master mold without wasted areas. The master is then replicated into a flexible working stamp for UV imprinting of Fresnel lens arrays, utilizing different UV curable materials. The functional characterization of the lenses demonstrates an optical efficiency of 80% at 178X under collimated white light, representing the highest effective concentration achieved using UV-imprinted Fresnel lenses. Furthermore, initial reliability tests confirm the absence of degradation during thermal cycling or outdoor exposure. This methodology paves the way for continuous high-throughput manufacturing of micro-lens arrays using R2R or R2P methods, presenting a significant step forward in micro-CPV.

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Realizing the next generation of CPV cells using transfer printing

Cited by 10 publications

References 8 publications

Ultra‐efficient intrinsic‐vertical‐tunnel‐junction structures for next‐generation concentrator solar cells

Ultra‐efficient intrinsic‐vertical‐tunnel‐junction structures for next‐generation concentrator solar cells

Integrated Micro‐Scale Concentrating Photovoltaics: A Scalable Path Toward High‐Efficiency, Low‐Cost Solar Power

Fabrication of high-performance lens arrays for micro-concentrator photovoltaics using ultraviolet imprinting

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