GaAs thin film nanostructure arrays for III-V solar cell applications

Dong Liang; Yangsen Kang; Yijie Huo; Ken Xinze Wang; Anjia Gu; Meiyueh Tan; Zongfu Yu; Shuang Li; Jieyang Jia; Xinyu Bao; Shuang Wang; Yan Yao; Shanhui Fan; Yi Cui; James Harris

doi:10.1117/12.909743

22 February 2012 GaAs thin film nanostructure arrays for III-V solar cell applications

Dong Liang, Yangsen Kang, Yijie Huo, Ken Xinze Wang, Anjia Gu, Meiyueh Tan, Zongfu Yu, Shuang Li, Jieyang Jia, Xinyu Bao, Shuang Wang, Yan Yao, Shanhui Fan, Yi Cui, James Harris

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8269, Photonic and Phononic Properties of Engineered Nanostructures II; 82692M (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.909743
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

State of art III-V multi-junction solar cells have demonstrated a record high efficiency of 43.5%. However, these cells are only applicable to high concentration systems due to their high cost of substrates and epitaxial growth. We demonstrate thin film flexible nanostructure arrays for III-V solar cell applications. Such nanostructure arrays allow substrate recycling and much thinner epitaxial layer thus could significantly reduce the cost of traditional III-V solar cells. We fabricate the GaAs thin film nanostructure arrays by conformally growing GaAs thin film on nanostructured template followed by epitaxial lift-off. We demonstrate broadband optical absorption enhancement of a film of GaAs nanostructure arrays over a planar thin film with equal thickness. The absorption enhancement is about 300% at long wavelengths due to significant light trapping effect and about 30% at short wavelengths due to antireflection effect from tapered geometry. Optical simulation shows the physical mechanisms of the absorption enhancement. Using thin film nanostructure arrays, the III-V solar system cost could be greatly reduced, leading to low $/W and high kW/kg flexible solar systems.

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Dong Liang, Yangsen Kang, Yijie Huo, Ken Xinze Wang, Anjia Gu, Meiyueh Tan, Zongfu Yu, Shuang Li, Jieyang Jia, Xinyu Bao, Shuang Wang, Yan Yao, Shanhui Fan, Yi Cui, and James Harris "GaAs thin film nanostructure arrays for III-V solar cell applications", Proc. SPIE 8269, Photonic and Phononic Properties of Engineered Nanostructures II, 82692M (22 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.909743

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