TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of metal, metal-oxide, and silicon-oxide based intermediate reflective layers for current matching in autonomous high-voltage multijunction photovoltaic devices
AU - de Vrijer, Thierry
AU - Miedema, Sander
AU - Blackstone, Thijs
AU - van Nijen, David
AU - Han, Can
AU - Smets, Arno H.M.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - A logical next step for achieving a cost price reduction per Watt peak of photovoltaics (PV) is multijunction PV devices. In two-terminal multijunction PV devices, the photo-current generated in each subcell should be matched. Intermediate reflective layers (IRLs) are widely employed in multijunction devices to increase reflection at the interface between subcells to enhance current generation in the subcell(s) positioned before the IRL, in reference to the incident light. In this work, the results of over 65 multijunction devices are presented, in order to explore the effect of different current matching approaches. The influence of variations in absorber thickness as well as thickness variations of different IRLs based on silicon-oxide, various transparent conductive oxides (TCO), and metallic layers on all-silicon multijunction PV devices is studied. Specifically, hybrid, 2-terminal, monolithically integrated silicon heterojunction (SHJ) and thin film nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) and amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) tandem and triple junction devices are processed. Based on these experiments, certain design rules for optimal current matching operation in multijunction devices are formulated. Finally, taking these design rules into account, record all-silicon multijunction devices are processed. Conversion efficiencies close 15% and (Formula presented.) V are demonstrated for triple junction SHJ/nc-Si:H/a-Si:H devices. Such conversion efficiencies for a wireless, high-voltage wafer-based all-silicon 2-terminal multijunction PV device opens the way for efficient autonomous solar-to-fuel synthesis systems as well as other wireless innovative approaches in which the multijunction solar cell is used not only as a photovoltaic current-voltage generator, but also as an ion-exchange membrane, electrochemical catalysts, and/or optical transmittance filter.
AB - A logical next step for achieving a cost price reduction per Watt peak of photovoltaics (PV) is multijunction PV devices. In two-terminal multijunction PV devices, the photo-current generated in each subcell should be matched. Intermediate reflective layers (IRLs) are widely employed in multijunction devices to increase reflection at the interface between subcells to enhance current generation in the subcell(s) positioned before the IRL, in reference to the incident light. In this work, the results of over 65 multijunction devices are presented, in order to explore the effect of different current matching approaches. The influence of variations in absorber thickness as well as thickness variations of different IRLs based on silicon-oxide, various transparent conductive oxides (TCO), and metallic layers on all-silicon multijunction PV devices is studied. Specifically, hybrid, 2-terminal, monolithically integrated silicon heterojunction (SHJ) and thin film nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) and amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) tandem and triple junction devices are processed. Based on these experiments, certain design rules for optimal current matching operation in multijunction devices are formulated. Finally, taking these design rules into account, record all-silicon multijunction devices are processed. Conversion efficiencies close 15% and (Formula presented.) V are demonstrated for triple junction SHJ/nc-Si:H/a-Si:H devices. Such conversion efficiencies for a wireless, high-voltage wafer-based all-silicon 2-terminal multijunction PV device opens the way for efficient autonomous solar-to-fuel synthesis systems as well as other wireless innovative approaches in which the multijunction solar cell is used not only as a photovoltaic current-voltage generator, but also as an ion-exchange membrane, electrochemical catalysts, and/or optical transmittance filter.
KW - amorphous silicon
KW - intermediate reflective layer
KW - multijunction PV
KW - nanocrystalline silicon
KW - silicon oxide
KW - solar to fuel
KW - thin film silicon
KW - transparent conductive oxide
KW - tunnel recombination junction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132021472&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/pip.3600
DO - 10.1002/pip.3600
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85132021472
SN - 1062-7995
VL - 30
SP - 1400
EP - 1409
JO - Progress in Photovoltaics: research and applications
JF - Progress in Photovoltaics: research and applications
IS - 12
ER -
