Refractory In$_{x}$ Ga1−$_{x}$ N Solar Cells for High-Temperature Applications

Williams, J.R.; McFavilen, Heather; Fischer, Alec M.; Ding, Ding; Young, Steven R.; Vadiee, Ehsan; Ponce, Fernando; Arena, C.; Honsberg, Christiana B.; Goodnick, Stephen M.

doi:10.1109/jphotov.2017.2756057

Cited by 25 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…46 Consequently, the reference InGaN solar cell samples shared many similarities in PV performance with previous reports. 21,22,45 Nevertheless, InGaN solar cells with AlGaN layers completely outperformed the reference solar cell samples in almost every aspect of PV performance across the entire temperature range in measurements.…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

“…It is also worth noting that the voltagebandgap offsets (W oc ) of 1A, 1B, 1C, and 2B are smaller than 0.6 V, which acts as an indicator of superior material quality in InGaN MQW solar cells. 22,44 Sample 2A showed lower V oc possibly due to the inferior material quality. Additionally, the J sc value of the reference sample is only 0.87 mA/cm 2 , while the values for samples with AlGaN layers are larger than 1.27 mA/cm 2 , with an enhancement of more than 46%.…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

“…https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5028530 III-nitride (III-N) materials have seen huge success in both electronics [1][2][3][4][5][6] and optoelectronics, [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] including power diodes, [1][2][3][4][5][6] solid-state lighting, [7][8][9][10][11][12] and integrated photonics. [13][14][15][16] Ternary InGaN alloys, in particular, have emerged in recent years as promising candidates for photovoltaic (PV) applications, [17][18][19][20][21][22] especially for high temperature PV applications, terrestrial photovoltaic thermal (PVT) hybrid solar collector systems, space applications, and top cells in multi-junction (MJ) solar cells. III-N materials' suitability for these device applications arises from their unique intrinsic properties, such as tunable wide bandgaps, a high absorption coefficient, high thermal stability, and outstanding radiation resistance.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Energy band engineering of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well solar cells via AlGaN electron- and hole-blocking layers

Huang

Chen

et al. 2018

Applied Physics Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, we perform a comprehensive study on energy band engineering of InGaN multi-quantum-well (MQW) solar cells using AlGaN electron- and hole-blocking layers. InGaN MQW solar cells with AlGaN layers were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, and high crystal quality was confirmed by high resolution X-ray diffraction measurements. Time-resolved photoluminescence results showed that the carrier lifetime on the solar cells with AlGaN layers increased by more than 40% compared to that on the reference samples, indicating greatly improved carrier collections. The illuminated current-density (J–V) measurements further confirmed that the short-circuit current density (Jsc) of the solar cells also benefited from the AlGaN layer design and increased 46%. At room temperature, the InGaN solar cells with AlGaN layers showed much higher power conversion efficiency (PCE), by up to two-fold, compared to reference devices. At high temperatures, these solar cells with AlGaN layers also delivered superior photovoltaic (PV) performance such as PCE, Jsc, and fill factor than the reference devices. These results indicate that band engineering with AlGaN layers in the InGaN MQW solar cell structures can effectively enhance the carrier collection process and is a promising design for high efficiency InGaN solar cells for both room temperature and high temperature PV applications.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 96%

mentioning

confidence: 96%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Energy band engineering of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well solar cells via AlGaN electron- and hole-blocking layers

Huang

Chen

et al. 2018

Applied Physics Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…MQWs can be valuable in the subcells comprising MJ PVs because their bandgap can be tailored to near‐optimal values while maintaining lattice‐matching. Equally significant for this study is that the magnitude of the temperature coefficient of cell efficiency can be lessened considerably 14–18 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Making the InGaN/GaN layers a few nanometers thick helps avoid grain formation while improving material quality and PV performance 16 . These cells are promising for high‐temperature hybrid solar thermal‐PV power plants and as a power source for near‐sun space missions 14–18 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

InGaN/GaN multi‐quantum‐well solar cells under high solar concentration and elevated temperatures for hybrid solar thermal‐photovoltaic power plants

Moses

Huang

Zhao

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hybrid solar electricity generation combines the high efficiency of photovoltaics (PVs) with the dispatchability of solar thermal power plants. Recent thermodynamic analyses have shown that the most efficient strategy constitutes an integrated concentrating PV-thermal absorber operating at high solar concentration and at the high temperatures suitable to efficient commercial steam turbines ($673-873 K). The recuperation of PV thermalization losses and the exploitation of sub-bandgap photons can more than compensate for the inherent decrease of PV efficiency with temperature in properly tailored tandem solar cells for which promising candidates are III-N alloys. Recently, there have been considerable efforts to develop apposite InGaN solar cells by producing InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) as the top cell in a tandem PV device that would absorb the short-wavelength regime of the solar spectrum, while sub-bandgap photons and PV thermalization are absorbed in the thermal receiver. We present measurements of current-voltage curves and external quantum efficiency spectra for InGaN/GaN MQW solar cells under high sunlight intensity, up to 1 W/mm 2 (1000 suns) and elevated temperature, up to 723 K. We find that the short-circuit current increases significantly with temperature, while the magnitude of the temperature coefficient of the open-circuit voltage decreases with solar concentration according to basic photodiode theory. Conversion efficiency peaks at 623-723 K under $300 suns, with no perceptible worsening in cell performance under extensive temperature and irradiance cycling-an encouraging finding in the quest for high-temperature high-irradiance cells. K E Y W O R D S concentrator photovoltaics, efficiency temperature coefficient, hybrid solar thermalphotovoltaic, InGaN/GaN, multiple quantum well 1 | INTRODUCTION Essentially, all large-scale solar electricity production installed to date comprises one of two technologies: concentrated solar power (CSP) or photovoltaics (PVs). In CSP (5.5 GW peak installed as of 2018), 1 concentrated sunlight heats a collector fluid that then generates the steam used in conventional turbines. CSP yearly-average conversion efficiencies ($14-18%) are essentially the same as those achieved by

show abstract

Simulation study of an optimized current matching for In0.39Ga0.61N/In0.57Ga0.43N/In0.74Ga0.26N triple-junction solar cells

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Refractory In$_{x}$ Ga1−$_{x}$ N Solar Cells for High-Temperature Applications

Cited by 25 publications

References 24 publications

Energy band engineering of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well solar cells via AlGaN electron- and hole-blocking layers

Energy band engineering of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well solar cells via AlGaN electron- and hole-blocking layers

InGaN/GaN multi‐quantum‐well solar cells under high solar concentration and elevated temperatures for hybrid solar thermal‐photovoltaic power plants

Simulation study of an optimized current matching for In0.39Ga0.61N/In0.57Ga0.43N/In0.74Ga0.26N triple-junction solar cells

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About