High‐efficiency flexible III‐V photovoltaic solar cells based on single‐crystal‐like thin films directly grown on metallic tapes. (6th August 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pouladi, Sara; Rathi, Monika; Khatiwada, Devendra; Asadirad, Mojtaba; Oh, Seung Kyu; Dutta, Pavel; Yao, Yao; Gao, Ying; Sun, Sicong; Li, Yongkuan; Shervin, Shahab; Lee, Keon‐Hwa; Selvamanickam, Venkat; Ryou, Jae‐Hyun
• Is Part Of: Progress in photovoltaics. Volume 27:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 30
• Page End: 36
• Publication Date: 2018-08-06
• Subjects: direct deposition -- flexible devices -- photovoltaic solar cells -- roll‐to‐roll process -- single‐crystal‐like semiconductor materials; Solar cells -- Periodicals; Photovoltaic cells -- Periodicals; Solar power plants -- Periodicals; 621.31245
• DOI: 10.1002/pip.3070
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1062-7995

Abstract

Abstract: This study demonstrates the first flexible single‐junction III‐V photovoltaic solar cells (SCs) based on single‐crystal‐like gallium arsenide (GaAs) thin films on a low‐cost metal substrate by direct and continuous deposition, which can bypass expensive single crystal wafer fabrication. The two‐dimensional modeling of the GaAs SC is developed and used to study feasibility of single‐crystal‐like GaAs thin films for high performance SC devices. A promising SC device performance characteristic with an open‐circuit voltage of 560 mV and short circuit current of 19.4 mA/cm 2, resulting in a conversion efficiency of ~7.6%, is demonstrated. Abstract : We developed flexible thin film III‐V solar cells on a new photovoltaics (PV) platform where nearly single‐crystalline III‐V thin films are directly grown on inexpensive polycrystalline metal substrates using crystallinity‐transformational buffer layers. This PV technology combines the efficiency advantages of high‐quality III‐V materials with continuous roll‐to‐roll deposition process of thin film on a low‐cost tape substrate to produce flexible, cost‐competitive, and high‐efficiency SCs with application versatility.