Modeling key characteristics of high-efficiency gallium arsenide solar cells

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive theoretical model for high-efficiency gallium arsenide solar cells, incorporating various recombination mechanisms, band-gap narrowing, and photon recycling to optimize their performance.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed one-dimensional model that considers multiple recombination processes and photon recycling, advancing the understanding of GaAs solar cell efficiency.

Findings

Good agreement between experimental and theoretical dependencies.

Model can be used to optimize GaAs solar cell characteristics.

Recombination mechanisms significantly impact cell efficiency.

Abstract

The paper proposes a theoretical approach to modeling the key characteristics of highly efficient gallium arsenide-based solar cells (SCs), using a one-dimensional SC model. The following recombination mechanisms are considered in the modeling: radiative recombination, interband Auger recombination, Shockley-Reed-Hall (SRH) recombination, surface recombination, recombination in the space charge region (SCR), and recombination along the perimeter of the structure. A simple empirical formula is proposed to describe the recombination along the perimeter of the SC structure. The GaAs band-gap narrowing effect is also taken into consideration. The main results are obtained under the assumption that the times of Shockley-Reed-Hall recombination and recombination in the SCR are the same. The effect of photon recycling (re-emission and re-absorption) is taken into account in a model similar to the one we used previously to simulate key characteristics of high-efficiency single-crystal silicon SCs. The model additionally uses absorption analysis at different doping levels of gallium arsenide. A good agreement was achieved between the experimental and theoretical dependencies. The results obtained in this work can be used to optimize the characteristics of highly efficient SCs based on direct-band semiconductors, particularly gallium arsenide (GaAs). Keywords: solar cell, high efficiency, modeling, gallium arsenide, recombination mechanisms, external quantum efficiency, parameter optimization.