A Taxonomy for Three-Terminal Tandem Solar Cells

Warren, Emily L.; McMahon, William E.; Rienäcker, Michael; VanSant, Kaitlyn; Whitehead, Riley C.; Peibst, Robby; Tamboli, Adele C.

doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.0c00068

Cited by 64 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(104 reference statements)

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“…To characterize the operation of a three-terminal solar cell under AM1.5G illumination it is useful to measure J on each junction as a function of both voltages, V top and V bot , and plot J and output power (P) maps as the ones shown in Figure 3a. Such plots help identify the possible interaction between subcells; 17,23,39 a detailed description of how to interpret them is given in Warren et al 35 . In such graphs, negligible cross-talk between cells results in J top and P top being invariant with respect to V bot , i.e.…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This can be avoided in future prototypes by inverting the growth and contacting the base from below with interdigitated base and collector contacts. 34 Following the recently proposed taxonomy for three-terminal tandem solar cells, 35 this cell is denoted GaInP/r/GaAs(p/n). The cell has a MgF 2 /ZnS anti-re ection coating (ARC) deposited by e-beam evaporation.…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

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GaInP/GaAs three-terminal heterojunction bipolar transistor solar cell

Zehender

Svatek

Steiner

et al. 2020

Preprint

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We demonstrate a novel multijunction architecture, the heterojunction bipolar transistor solar cell (HBTSC), which exhibits the performance of a double-junction solar cell in a more compact npn (or pnp) semiconductor structure. The HBTSC concept has the advantages of being a three-terminal device, such as low spectral sensitivity and high tolerance to non-optimal band gap energies, while it reduces the fabrication and operation complexity with respect to other multi-terminal devices because, for example, it can produce independent power extraction from the two junctions without the need for extra layers for their isolation or inter-connection. The top and bottom junctions in our proof-of-concept HBTSC prototype, which is made of epitaxial GaInP/GaAs, exhibit independent current-voltage characteristics under AM1.5G illumination, with respective open-circuit voltages of 1.33 and 0.95 V. The voltage difference between the two junctions is notable considering that they share a thin (< 600 nm) GaInP layer which contributes to the photogeneration of both junctions. This can be explained by a gradient in the minority carrier quasi-Fermi level within the base layer, which is compatible with a high fill factor. We also offer a technological solution for contacting the intermediate layer and study the effect of series resistance on the device performance. The HBTSC opens a new perspective in the understanding of multi-junction devices and it is an excellent candidate for the application of low-cost fabrication techniques, and for the implementation of III-V on silicon tandems with parallel/series interconnection for high energy yield.

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Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

GaInP/GaAs three-terminal heterojunction bipolar transistor solar cell

Zehender

Svatek

Steiner

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…To facilitate or simplify the accurate characterization of monolithic 2T TSCs and circumvent the spectral mismatch issue, researchers designed a three-terminal monolithic tandem configuration and showed precise measurement results. [99][100][101][102]…”

Section: Inorganic Perovskitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perovskite‐Based Tandem Solar Cells: Get the Most Out of the Sun

Zhang

Meng

et al. 2020

Adv Funct Materials

104

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Tandem solar cells (TSCs) comprising stacked narrow‐bandgap and wide‐bandgap subcells are regarded as the most promising approach to break the Shockley–Queisser limit of single‐junction solar cells. As the game‐changer in the photovoltaic community, organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites became the front‐runner candidate for mating with other efficient photovoltaic technologies in the tandem configuration for higher power conversion efficiency, by virtue of their tunable and complementary bandgaps, excellent photoelectric properties, and solution processability. In this review, a perspective that critically dilates the progress of perovskite material selection and device design for perovskite‐based TSCs, including perovskite/silicon, perovskite/copper indium gallium selenide, perovskite/perovskite, perovskite/CdTe, and perovskite/GaAs are presented. Besides, all‐inorganic perovskite CsPbI3 with high thermal stability is proposed as the top subcell in TSCs due to its suitable bandgap of ≈1.73 eV and rapidly increasing efficiency. To minimize the optical and electrical losses for high‐efficiency TSCs, the optimization of transparent electrodes, recombination layers, and the current‐matching principles are highlighted. Through big data analysis, wide‐bandgap perovskite solar cells with high open‐circuit voltage (Voc) are in dire need in further study. In the end, opportunities and challenges to realize the commercialization of TSCs, including long‐term stability, area upscaling, and mitigation of toxicity, are also envisioned.

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“…The polarity and illumination direction are just part of what differentiates the myriad tandem device architectures, all of which have certain benefits and drawbacks in terms of fabrication challenges, efficiencies and potential for commercialization. [ 75 ] Each choice made about the type of tandem to fabricate will necessarily limit choices for which perovskite active layer and contact layers (CLs) that can be used because of processing incompatibilities or other issues with materials integration. Many of these issues stem from the fact that all‐perovskite tandems have a unique fabrication challenge as compared to other perovskite‐containing tandems.…”

Section: Tandem Architecture: Picking Your Roadmapmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The intermediate is the less commonly known three‐terminal (3T) tandem which can be made from an interdigitated back contact (IBC) rear sub‐cell and a wide‐ E g front sub‐cell, connected monolithically through a recombination junction (Figure 2B). [ 75,79,80 ] If a monolithic IBC 3T tandem configuration is considered, it typically must be illuminated in substrate due to the opacity of the IBC contacts that have to be patterned first on the substrate. [ 79 ] This configuration has the advantage of combining the optical coupling and lower parasitic absorption losses of a 2‐terminal monolithic tandem with the wider available bandgap range and lower spectral dependency of a 4‐terminal tandem.…”

Section: Tandem Architecture: Picking Your Roadmapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Choose Your Own Adventure: Fabrication of Monolithic All‐Perovskite Tandem Photovoltaics

et al. 2020

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power conversion efficiencies (PCE) certified over 25% [9] merely 10 years after their first report (no small feat). [10,11] Perovskites have also made rapid progress in stability [12] (which is arguably their Achilles heel) now with regular reports of thousands of hours, [13-17] reaching up to one year, [18] of device operational stability, even at elevated temperatures. [19,20] Finally, there have been impressive efforts in scaling the MHP deposition methods to maintain film uniformity over larger areas, through the use of novel solvent chemistries [21-23] and a variety of processing techniques [24,25] which has culminated in a certified 17.25% PCE for a ≈20 cm 2 module [26] and 17.9% PCE for a >800 cm 2 module. [27] An additional unique characteristic of MHPs is the ability to widely tune the composition of ABX 3 where A is usually a mixture of methylammonium (MA +), formamidinium (FA +) and cesium (Cs +); B can be a mixture of Pb 2+ and Sn 2+ ; and X is typically a mixture of I − , Br − , and Cl −. Changing the composition allows the bandgap (E g) to be modulated from ≈1.2 to >2.4 eV. [28-32] A large range of compositions and bandgaps have been used to make solar cells with PCEs over 20%. [4,33-39] The ability to reach high efficiencies at a wide range of bandgaps naturally motivates the use of perovskites in multijunction photovoltaics with various absorbers employed in tandem. By coupling together two MHPs with complementary bandgaps into a tandem device (Figure 1A), the incident solar spectrum can be more efficiently converted than in a single bandgap device by reducing the thermalization losses. This loss reduction increases the maximum attainable PCE. [40] Pairing the high efficiency (>30%) with the promises for ultralow cost manufacturing and light weight makes all-perovskite tandems one of the most exciting PV technologies in a generation. This combination of characteristics not only has the potential to further lower the solar electricity costs, but also to open the field to applications beyond the capabilities of the crystalline silicon dominant market, such as unmanned aerial vehicles. [41-44] While single-junction perovskite cells currently have demonstrated the highest efficiencies among polycrystalline thin-film PVs, they are likely to have a maximum practical efficiency of ≈28% PCE whereas all-perovskite tandems have a clear path to well over 30%. [40,45] There has been a flurry of work on monolithic, 2-terminal (2T) perovskite-based tandems, pairing a wide-E g MHP with materials such as low-E g tin/lead (Sn/Pb) Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have transfixed the photovoltaic (PV) community due to their outstanding and tunable optoelectronic properties coupled to demonstrations of high-power conversion efficiencies (PCE) at a range of bandgaps. This has motivated the field to push perovskites to reach the highest possible performance. One way to increase the efficiency is by fabricating multijunction solar cells, which can split the solar spectrum, reducing thermalization loss. Low-cost all-pero...

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A Taxonomy for Three-Terminal Tandem Solar Cells

Cited by 64 publications

References 58 publications

GaInP/GaAs three-terminal heterojunction bipolar transistor solar cell

GaInP/GaAs three-terminal heterojunction bipolar transistor solar cell

Perovskite‐Based Tandem Solar Cells: Get the Most Out of the Sun

Choose Your Own Adventure: Fabrication of Monolithic All‐Perovskite Tandem Photovoltaics

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