4 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper reports a proposal and demonstration of a novel anti-reflection coating (ARC) using a dielectric material, such as SiO2, in conjunction with lattice-matched and conductive crystalline ZnSe for GaAs based solar cells. The application of such an ARC to GaAs single-junction solar cell is used for the feasibility study. The transfer matrix method is applied to calculate the reflectance as well as determine the optimal SiO2 and ZnSe layer thicknesses. The simulation results indicate that a minimum reflection loss of 1.5% is achievable when the SiO2 and ZnSe layer thicknesses are 91 nm and 49 nm, respectively. Test structures consisting of ZnSe and SiO2 layers were grown using molecular beam epitaxy and magnetron RF sputtering, respectively. The reflectance measurements of both samples showed 4.0% total reflection loss over the absorbed solar spectrum. This newly proposed ARC can also be used for multi-junction solar cells based on GaAs as well as other single- or multi-junction solar cells based on different substrates. The single-crystal ZnSe layer with proper doping can also be used for current spreading to further improve the overall solar cell efficiencies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication39th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2013
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages2105-2108
Number of pages4
ISBN (Print)9781479932993
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013
Event39th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2013 - Tampa, FL, United States
Duration: Jun 16 2013Jun 21 2013

Publication series

NameConference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
ISSN (Print)0160-8371

Other

Other39th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2013
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityTampa, FL
Period6/16/136/21/13

Keywords

  • Gallium arsenide
  • Optical reflection
  • Optimization
  • Optoelectronic devices
  • Photovoltaic cells

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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