Toward Low-Cost 4-Terminal GaAs//Si Tandem Solar Cells

Kaitlyn T. Vansant; John Simon; John F. Geisz; Emily L. Warren; Kevin L. Schulte; Aaron J. Ptak; Michelle S. Young; Michael Rienäcker; Henning Schulte-Huxel; Robby Peibst; Adele C. Tamboli

doi:10.1021/acsaem.9b00018

Details

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2375-2380
Number of pages	6
Journal	ACS Applied Energy Materials
Volume	2
Issue number	4
Early online date	18 Mar 2019
Publication status	Published - 22 Apr 2019
Externally published	Yes

Abstract

Mechanically stacked III-V-on-Si (III-V//Si) tandem solar cells have demonstrated efficiencies beyond what can theoretically be achieved by single junction Si solar cells, but III-V costs are currently at least an order of magnitude higher than Si costs. Recent techno-economic analysis shows that costs could be substantially reduced by replacing traditional metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) with a lower-cost III-V deposition technique, such as hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). This study analyzes the performance of an HVPE-grown GaAs top cell incorporated into a 4-terminal (4T) GaAs//Si tandem cell that achieved an efficiency of 29%, which is the highest solar cell efficiency fabricated without expensive deposition techniques such as MOVPE or MBE. We compare these results to an MOVPE-grown GaAs//Si tandem cell that has the same structure. Finally, we model optimizations to the HVPE-grown GaAs top cell and provide a near-term pathway to 31.4% efficiency with a low-cost III-V deposition technique.

Keywords

GaAs, HVPE, MOCVD, MOVPE, multijunction solar cells, photovoltaic cells, solar energy, tandems

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemical Engineering(all)
Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
Energy(all)
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Chemistry(all)
Electrochemistry
Materials Science(all)
Materials Chemistry
Engineering(all)
Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Cite this

Toward Low-Cost 4-Terminal GaAs//Si Tandem Solar Cells. / Vansant, Kaitlyn T.; Simon, John; Geisz, John F. et al.
In: ACS Applied Energy Materials, Vol. 2, No. 4, 22.04.2019, p. 2375-2380.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review

Vansant, KT, Simon, J, Geisz, JF, Warren, EL, Schulte, KL, Ptak, AJ, Young, MS, Rienäcker, M, Schulte-Huxel, H, Peibst, R & Tamboli, AC 2019, 'Toward Low-Cost 4-Terminal GaAs//Si Tandem Solar Cells', ACS Applied Energy Materials, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 2375-2380. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.9b00018

Vansant, K. T., Simon, J., Geisz, J. F., Warren, E. L., Schulte, K. L., Ptak, A. J., Young, M. S., Rienäcker, M., Schulte-Huxel, H., Peibst, R., & Tamboli, A. C. (2019). Toward Low-Cost 4-Terminal GaAs//Si Tandem Solar Cells. ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2(4), 2375-2380. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.9b00018

Vansant KT, Simon J, Geisz JF, Warren EL, Schulte KL, Ptak AJ et al. Toward Low-Cost 4-Terminal GaAs//Si Tandem Solar Cells. ACS Applied Energy Materials. 2019 Apr 22;2(4):2375-2380. Epub 2019 Mar 18. doi: 10.1021/acsaem.9b00018

Vansant, Kaitlyn T. ; Simon, John ; Geisz, John F. et al. / Toward Low-Cost 4-Terminal GaAs//Si Tandem Solar Cells. In: ACS Applied Energy Materials. 2019 ; Vol. 2, No. 4. pp. 2375-2380.

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@article{4da4b6d97a32490d88da3d6f0d6bf31e,

title = "Toward Low-Cost 4-Terminal GaAs//Si Tandem Solar Cells",

abstract = "Mechanically stacked III-V-on-Si (III-V//Si) tandem solar cells have demonstrated efficiencies beyond what can theoretically be achieved by single junction Si solar cells, but III-V costs are currently at least an order of magnitude higher than Si costs. Recent techno-economic analysis shows that costs could be substantially reduced by replacing traditional metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) with a lower-cost III-V deposition technique, such as hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). This study analyzes the performance of an HVPE-grown GaAs top cell incorporated into a 4-terminal (4T) GaAs//Si tandem cell that achieved an efficiency of 29%, which is the highest solar cell efficiency fabricated without expensive deposition techniques such as MOVPE or MBE. We compare these results to an MOVPE-grown GaAs//Si tandem cell that has the same structure. Finally, we model optimizations to the HVPE-grown GaAs top cell and provide a near-term pathway to 31.4% efficiency with a low-cost III-V deposition technique.",

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author = "Vansant, {Kaitlyn T.} and John Simon and Geisz, {John F.} and Warren, {Emily L.} and Schulte, {Kevin L.} and Ptak, {Aaron J.} and Young, {Michelle S.} and Michael Rien{\"a}cker and Henning Schulte-Huxel and Robby Peibst and Tamboli, {Adele C.}",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to thank Heike Kohlenberg at ISFH for her work performed in support of this publication. We would also like to thank David Guiling and Waldo Olavarria for growth of the III−V materials. This work was authored in part by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, the manager and operator of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Contract DE-AC36-08GO28308. Funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office under Contract DE-00030299. The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of the DOE or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this work, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. Work at ISFH was supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy within the framework of the EASi research project (FKZ0324040), the European Union{\textquoteright}s Seventh Program for research, technological development and demonstration within the “HERCULES” project (Grant Agreement 608498), and by the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 American Chemical Society. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

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AU - Vansant, Kaitlyn T.

AU - Simon, John

AU - Geisz, John F.

AU - Warren, Emily L.

AU - Schulte, Kevin L.

AU - Ptak, Aaron J.

AU - Young, Michelle S.

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N2 - Mechanically stacked III-V-on-Si (III-V//Si) tandem solar cells have demonstrated efficiencies beyond what can theoretically be achieved by single junction Si solar cells, but III-V costs are currently at least an order of magnitude higher than Si costs. Recent techno-economic analysis shows that costs could be substantially reduced by replacing traditional metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) with a lower-cost III-V deposition technique, such as hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). This study analyzes the performance of an HVPE-grown GaAs top cell incorporated into a 4-terminal (4T) GaAs//Si tandem cell that achieved an efficiency of 29%, which is the highest solar cell efficiency fabricated without expensive deposition techniques such as MOVPE or MBE. We compare these results to an MOVPE-grown GaAs//Si tandem cell that has the same structure. Finally, we model optimizations to the HVPE-grown GaAs top cell and provide a near-term pathway to 31.4% efficiency with a low-cost III-V deposition technique.

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KW - tandems

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Research@Leibniz University