High Efficiency Four Junction III-V Bismide Concentrator Solar Cell: Design, Theory, and Simulation

Abu Kowsar, Syed Farid Uddin Farhad

Abstract


In this paper, the efficiency of a novel GaInP2/GaAs/GaAs0.94Bi0.0583/Ge concentrator multijunction solar cell has been investigated by simulation using indigenously written code for MATLAB software. The materials in this unique cell structure are judiciously selected to ensure the maximum absorption of photons from ultraviolet to deep infrared wavelengths of the solar spectrum. A theoretical model has been developed to channel the same current in all four junctions and to ensure the highest conversion of the sunlight into electricity.  The theoretical efficiencies of this quadruple junction solar cell have been simulated to be 49.6% and 60.2% for AM1.5G solar radiation under 1 sun and 500 sun concentration respectively. Finally, these simulated efficiencies have been compared with the theoretical and experimental efficiencies of the reported champion solar cells.

Keywords


III-V bismide, multijunction solar cell, concentrator cell, efficiency and simulation

Full Text:

PDF

References


S. R. Kurtz, D. Myers, and J. M. Olson, "Projected

performance of three-and four-junction devices using

GaAs and GaInP," in Photovoltaic Specialists

Conference, 1997., Conference Record of the TwentySixth

IEEE, 1997, pp. 875-878.

D. Friedman, J. Geisz, S. R. Kurtz, and J. Olson, "1-eV

solar cells with GaInNAs active layer," Journal of

Crystal Growth, vol. 195, pp. 409-415, 1998.

D. Friedman and S. R. Kurtz, "Breakeven criteria for

the GaInNAs junction in GaInP/GaAs/GaInNAs/Ge

fourâ€junction solar cells," Progress in Photovoltaics:

Research and Applications, vol. 10, pp. 331-344, 2002.

S. Michael and A. Bates, "The design and optimization

of advanced multijunction solar cells using the Silvaco

ATLAS software package," Solar energy materials

and solar cells, vol. 87, pp. 785-794, 2005.

D. Friedman, J. Geisz, A. Norman, M. Wanlass, and S.

Kurtz, "0.7-eV GaInAs junction for a

GaInP/GaAs/GaInAs (1eV)/GaInAs (0.7 eV) fourjunction

solar cell," in Photovoltaic Energy

Conversion, Conference Record of the 2006 IEEE 4th

World Conference on, 2006, pp. 598-602.

M. J. Hossain, B. Tiwari, and I. Bhattacharya, "Novel

high efficiency quadruple junction solar cell with

current matching and quantum efficiency simulations,"

Solar Energy, vol. 139, pp. 100-107, 2016.

S. N. Sakib, S. P. Mouri, Z. Ferdous, M. Z. Rahman,

and M. S. Kaiser, "Comparison of theoretical

efficiencies of three and four layer multijunction solar

cell and the effects of varying the bottom layer

material," in Informatics, Electronics and Vision

(ICIEV), 2016 5th International Conference on, 2016,

pp. 995-1000.

S. Khanom, M. K. Hossain, F. Ahmed, M. A. Hossain,

A. Kowsar, and M. Rahaman, "Simulation study of

multijunction solar cell incorporating GaAsBi," in

Humanitarian Technology Conference (R10-HTC),

IEEE Region 10, 2017, pp. 432-435.

S. Tixier, M. Adamcyk, T. Tiedje, S. Francoeur, A.

Mascarenhas, P. Wei, et al., "Molecular beam epitaxy

growth of GaAs 1− x Bi x," Applied physics letters, vol.

, pp. 2245-2247, 2003.

S. Francoeur, M.-J. Seong, A. Mascarenhas, S. Tixier,

M. Adamcyk, and T. Tiedje, "Band gap of GaAs 1− x

Bi x, 0< x< 3.6%," Applied physics letters, vol. 82, pp.

-3876, 2003.

J. Yoshida, T. Kita, O. Wada, and K. Oe, "Temperature

dependence of GaAs1-xBix band gap studied by

photoreflectance spectroscopy," Japanese journal of

applied physics, vol. 42, p. 371, 2003.

A. Kowsar, K. R. Mehzabeen, M. S. Islam, and Z.

Mahmood, "Determination of the theoretical efficiency

of GaInP/GaAs/GaAs1-xBix multijunction solar cell,"

in Proc. of the 10th International conf. on fiber optics

and Photonics Photonics, India, 2010.

M. E. Nell and A. M. Barnett, "The spectral pn junction

model for tandem solar-cell design," IEEE

Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 34, pp. 257-

, 1987.

S. R. Kurtz, P. Faine, and J. Olson, "Modeling of twoâ€

junction, seriesâ€connected tandem solar cells using topâ€

cell thickness as an adjustable parameter," Journal of

Applied Physics, vol. 68, pp. 1890-1895, 1990.

M. A. H. Abu Kowsar, Md Sofikul Islam, Afrina

Sharmin and Z. H. Mahmood, "Analysis of theoretical

efficiencies of GaInP2/GaAs/Ge multijunction solar

cell," The Dhaka University Journal of Applied Science

and Engineering, vol. 3, 2015.

A. Kowsar, A. Y. Imam, M. Rahaman, M. S. Bashar,

M. S. Islam, S. Islam, et al., "Comparative study on the

efficiencies of silicon solar cell."

S. N. Sakib, S. P. Mouri, Z. Ferdous, A. Kowsar, and

M. S. Kaiser, "Effect of different solar radiation on the

efficiency of GaInP2/GaAs/Ge based multijunction

solar cell," in Electrical Information and

Communication Technology (EICT), 2015 2nd

International Conference on, 2015, pp. 528-532.

S. M. Sze and K. K. Ng, Physics of semiconductor

devices: John wiley & sons, 2006.

M. I. A Kowsar, KR Mehzabeen, ZH Mahmood,

"Study on the Efficiency of the GaInP2/GaAs/Ge

Multijunction Solar Cell," in Proc. of International

Conference on Environmental Aspects of

Bangladesh,BEN, Japan, 2010, pp. 116-119.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL of RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH

A. Kowsar and S.F.U.Farhad, Vol.8, No.3, September, 2018

S. N. Sakib, S. P. Mouri, A. Kowsar, M. Rahaman, and

M. S. Kaiser, "Theoretical efficiency of

AlAs/GaAs/GaAs0. 91Bi0. 085 based new

multijunction solar cell and effects of solar radiation

and sun concentration on it," in Microelectronics,

Computing and Communications (MicroCom), 2016

International Conference on, 2016, pp. 1-6.

A. Hemmani, A. Nouri, H. Khachab, and T. Atouani,

"Optimization of the emitter’s bandgap and thickness

of AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs Multi-junction solar cell,"

International Journal of Renewable Energy Research

(IJRER), vol. 7, pp. 525-530, 2017.

A. Dilan, "Quantum photovoltaic effect: Two photon

process in solar cell," in Renewable Energy Research

and Applications (ICRERA), 2015 International

Conference on, 2015, pp. 1084-1088.

D. R. Myers, K. Emery, and C. Gueymard, "Revising

and validating spectral irradiance reference standards

for photovoltaic performance evaluation," Journal of

solar energy engineering, vol. 126, pp. 567-574, 2004.

A. Standard, "G173,“Standard Tables for Reference

Solar Spectral Irradiances: Direct Normal and

Hemispherical on 37 Tilted Surface,†Amer," Society

for Testing Matls., West Conshocken PA, USA, 2007.

R. Kini, L. Bhusal, A. Ptak, R. France, and A.

Mascarenhas, "Electron hall mobility in GaAsBi,"

journal of applied physics, vol. 106, p. 043705, 2009.

D. Beaton, R. Lewis, M. Masnadi-Shirazi, and T.

Tiedje, "Temperature dependence of hole mobility in

GaAs 1− x Bi x alloys," journal of applied physics, vol.

, p. 083708, 2010.

W. Shockley and H. J. Queisser, "Detailed balance

limit of efficiency of pâ€n junction solar cells," Journal

of applied physics, vol. 32, pp. 510-519, 1961.

P. Würfel, Physics of solar cells vol. 1: Wiley-vch

Weinheim, 2005.

S. Kurtz, D. Myers, W. McMahon, J. Geisz, and M.

Steiner, "A comparison of theoretical efficiencies of

multiâ€junction concentrator solar cells," Progress in

Photovoltaics: research and applications, vol. 16, pp.

-546, 2008.

A. S. Brown and M. A. Green, "Radiative coupling as

a means to reduce spectral mismatch in monolithic

tandem solar cell stacks theoretical considerations," in

Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2002. Conference

Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE, 2002, pp. 868-871.

A. Marti and G. L. Araújo, "Limiting efficiencies for

photovoltaic energy conversion in multigap systems,"

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 43, pp.

-222, 1996.

M. A. Green, Y. Hishikawa, E. D. Dunlop, D. H. Levi,

J. Hohlâ€Ebinger, and A. W. Y. Hoâ€Baillie, "Solar cell

efficiency tables (version 51)," Progress in

Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, vol. 26, pp.

-12, 2018.




DOI (PDF): https://doi.org/10.20508/ijrer.v8i3.7982.g7477

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Online ISSN: 1309-0127

Publisher: Gazi University

IJRER is cited in SCOPUS, EBSCO, WEB of SCIENCE (Clarivate Analytics);

IJRER has been cited in Emerging Sources Citation Index from 2016 in web of science.

WEB of SCIENCE in 2025; 

h=35,

Average citation per item=6.59

Last three Years Impact Factor=(1947+1753+1586)/(146+201+78)=5286/425=12.43

Category Quartile:Q4