Modeling and Characterization of an MBE-Grown Concentrator P-N GaSb Solar Cells Using a Pseudo-3D Model

• Published in: IEEE journal of photovoltaics 2021-07, Vol.11 (4), p.1032-1039
• Main Authors: Kret, Joanna, Parola, Stephanie, Martinez, Frederic, Vauthelin, Alexandre, Tournet, Julie, Rouillard, Yves, Tournie, Eric, Cuminal, Yvan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carrier transport; Computational modeling; Concentrator cells; Concentrators; Current carriers; Engineering Sciences; Gallium arsenide; GaSb; III-Sb compounds; Integrated circuit modeling; Metals; Micro and nanotechnologies; Microelectronics; Modelling; Photovoltaic cells; pseudo-3-D modeling; simulation; Solar cells; Solid modeling; Temperature dependence; Temperature measurement; Three dimensional models
• ISSN: 2156-3381; 2156-3403
• DOI: 10.1109/JPHOTOV.2021.3075290

The heterogeneous integration of a GaSb subcell into a 4-terminal cell is currently experiencing a regain of interest for high concentrator multijunction photovoltaics. In this context, the assessment of the lateral charge carrier transport in a GaSb cell under concentrated light is fundamental. The characterization and modeling of a GaSb single-junction solar cell under concentration are presented here. The originality of this article resides in the fine analysis of experimental data using an in-house pseudo-3-D model where the intrinsic diode is modeled with a temperature-dependent 1-D physical model. The limiting factors responsible for the performance drop under concentrated light are discussed. It is also demonstrated that an efficiency of 12.5% can be reached under 64 suns with realistic technological improvements.