Ultimate efficiency of cascade solar cells based on homogeneous tunnel-junction

structures in CPV systems

Yuri D. Arbuzov, Vladimir M. Evdokimov, and Olga V. Shepovalova

Citation: AIP Conference Proceedings 1814, 020075 (2017); doi: 10.1063/1.4976294

View online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4976294
View Table of Contents: http://aip.scitation.org/toc/apc/1814/1
Published by the American Institute of Physics
 Ultimate Efficiency of Cascade Solar Cells Based on
Homogeneous Tunnel-Junction Structures in CPV Systems
Yuri D. Arbuzov, Vladimir M. Evdokimov, Olga V. Shepovalovaa)

The All-Russian Research Institute for Electrification of Agriculture (VIESH)

1-st Veshnyakovsky proezd, 2, Moscow 109456, Russia
a)
Corresponding author: shepovalovaolga@mail.ru

Abstract. High voltage cascade solar cells on the basis of n+-p-p+(t)n+-p-p+(t)...n+-p-p+ multilayer structures
manufactured from homogeneous type semiconductor with the quantum mechanical tunnelling effect of charge carriers in
p+(t)n+ junction under concentrated radiation have been studied. The expressions for the theoretical and physical upper-
limit values for open circuit voltage and efficiency of cascade solar cell and spectral characteristics, design and physical
parameters of cascades have been obtained. Dependencies of the upper-limit efficiency for silicon cascade photovoltaic
converters on solar radiation concentration ratio, number of cells and dead layer thickness in cascade tunnel-junction
structures have been investigated.

INTRODUCTION
Purpose of the work:
x Investigation of the optimisation problem and perspectives evaluation of potentialities for solar energy
conversion technology using CPV systems with proposed cascade solar cells.
x Determination of the theoretical and physical upper-limit for open circuit voltage and efficiency of
cascade solar cell depending on radiation concentration ratio for various design, electrophysical and
technological parameters of optimised solar cell structures.
To solve this problem the theory of photovoltaic effect and a method of structure parameters optimisation of
cascade solar cell have been developed, and the upper-limit efficiency values for systems with radiation
concentrators under conditions of linear photoresponse for idealized semiconductor structure and fundamental
mechanism of radiative recombination of charge carriers have been determined.

SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION AND RELEVANCE

Cascade solar cells based on multilayer semiconductor tunnel-junction structures make it possible to solve an
important problem of implementing high-voltage power sources designed for solar station applications [1]. Further
developments in investigating and implementing cascade solar cells for converting solar radiation and other types of
radiation presented in this paper can be only achieved by solving two fundamental problems of photoelectric
conversion technology. The first one is to obtain sufficiently high efficiency of solar cells while the other is to
reduce substantially the cost of PV installations. In this work, one of the principal methods to solve the two
problems by optimizing design parameters of new-type cascade photoelectric converters based on silicon tunnel-
junction structures has been presented.
Under concentrated solar radiation, the upper-limit value of conversion efficiency Km increases, and for relatively
small concentration ratios K it follows the logarithmic law: 'Km ~ lnK [2]. Under asymptotically high solar radiation
concentration the efficiency tends to reach a saturation value K0 equal to the highest possible share of solar energy
that can be effectively utilized in a homogenous solar cells depending on only semiconductor’s band gap width. For
silicon, K0 = 44% [3]. This criterion defines the expediency of using PV devices with radiation concentrators. That is
why new PV devices based on high-voltage solar cells build from cascade tunnel-junction structures of homogenous
semiconductor depending on radiation concentration ratio were studied in this paper.

Technologies and Materials for Renewable Energy, Environment and Sustainability

AIP Conf. Proc. 1814, 020075-1–020075-5; doi: 10.1063/1.4976294
Published by AIP Publishing. 978-0-7354-1482-2/$30.00

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 RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Photovoltaic characteristics of solar cells were considered in the model ignoring the recombination of charge
carriers in low-doped p-layers of the structure since the optimum value of p-layers’ thickness, as it is shown below,
is negligibly small compared to the charge carrier diffusion length in the these layers while surface recombination
can be eliminated by creating a structure with high potential barriers at the junctions between heavily doped p+ and
n+. At the same time, in this model, recombination is considered to be so large in the tunnel layer (t) on the contacts
of heavily doped p+- and n+- layers that they are "dead", i.e. completely inactive in terms of generating charge
carriers, in spite that they absorb radiation.
Under concentrated radiation with the concentration ratio K and spectral distribution of quanta flux density
d)/dZ (where Z is frequency), the density of the photocurrent J)i generated in the i-th single photoconverter (PC) of
cascade structure containing N serially arranged single PCs (i = 1, 2,..., N), with the account of the light absorption
in each precedent layer, is given by expression [4]:

f
d)
J )i q˜K ˜³ ˜ Si (Z ) ˜ dZ ; i 1, 2,..., N , (1)
0
dZ

where q is electron charge, Si (Z) is spectral photoresponse of the i-th single PC in the cascade that represents a
fraction of the incident monochromatic radiation converted into photocurrent with regard to the radiation absorbed
in all precedent layers of the cascade:

§ N ·
¨ ¦
D (Z )¨ d k  2G ( N 1) ¸
¸
S1 (Z ) e ©k 2 ¹
˜ Q(Z ) , (2)

§ N ·
D (Z )¨
¨ ¦ d k  2G ( N i )G ¸
¸
Si (Z ) e © k i 1 ¹
˜ (1  e D (Z ) di ); i 2,..., N  1, (3)

S N (Z ) e D (Z )G ˜ (1  e D (Z ) d N ) , (4)

D(Z) is spectral absorption coefficient for photons, di is thickness of the photoactive layer of the i-th single PC, G is
thickness of heavily doped, “dead”, p+- or n+-layer (by assumption, identical for all single PCs of photovoltaic
structure manufactured using a uniform technology), Q(Z) is spectral charge carrier collection efficiency of the 1st,
basic, PC, dependent on its diffusion, recombination and geometrical parameters. Functions D(Z) and Q(Z) have a
threshold at a frequency of Z = Z0 = Eg/!, where Eg is the semiconductor band gap, ! is Planck constant.
In the optimal operation mode of cascade, each single PC in the entire structure shall operate in the optimal point
of its current-voltage characteristic. Since the value of optimum current in a high-performance solar cell is close to
its photocurrent the condition of maximum power generation of the structure is reduced to the equality of all
photocurrents within the structure of cascade solar cell. Therefore, optimization of the semiconductor structure on
thickness di of each active layer arranged upon the base PC of the cascade (with fixed G value), can be reduced to
solving the following system of N-1 nonlinear equations in di:

J )i J )1; i 2,..., N , (5)

.

The resulting system can be expressed through the universal function f(x):

f f
d ) D (Z )˜x d)
f ( x) ³Z dZ ˜ e ˜dZ ³ dZ ˜dZ ;
Z0
f (0) 1 , (6)
0

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which, apparently, is normalised distribution of integrated radiation quantum flux, in the photoactive spectral region
Z t Z0, at a distance x from the illuminated surface of the semiconductor structure. Function f(x) is determined by
the spectral composition of radiation d)/dZ and spectral absorption of radiation in semiconductor D(Z). Hence,
system (5) is adequate to:

k i 1
  N
f ¦ d k  2G ( N  i)  G  f ¦ d k  2G ( N  i)  G
k i

§ N ·
d ) D (Z )¨¨© ¦
f d k  2G ( N 1) ¸ f
¸ d)
³Z dZ ˜ e k 2 ¹
˜ Q(Z ) ˜ dZ ³ dZ ˜dZ ;
Z0
i 2,3,..., N ; d N 1 0 . (7)
0

These nonlinear equations can be solved numerically which gives the desired optimal value of thickness di of the
single PC, that of the integral photoresponse of the optimised cascade:

§ N ·
d ) D (Z )¨¨© ¦
f d k  2G ( N 1) ¸ f
¸ d)
S
Z0
³ dZ
˜e k 2 ¹
˜ Q (Z ) ˜ d Z ³ dZ ˜dZ ,
Z0
(8)

as well as that of the photocurrent of cascade solar cell:

f
d)
J) q ˜ K ˜ S ˜ ³ ˜ d Z q ˜ K ˜ S ˜ ) 0 ( Eg ) , (9)
Z0
dZ

where )0(Eg) is flux density of radiation quanta in the intrinsic absorption range of semiconductor.
These expressions represent the final general solution of the optimization problem for parameters of idealised
cascade solar cell based on tunnel-junction structures of homogeneous semiconductor with arbitrary values of
spectral density of the radiation d)/dZ, radiation concentration ratio K, spectral absorption coefficient for radiation
in semiconductor D(Z), in the base Q(Z) and electrophysical characteristics of structures, i.e. thickness of the dead
layer G at the contacts between single PCs in cascade.

Theoretical and physical upper-limit characteristics of solar cell

For cascade semiconductor structures under consideration, the concept of ideal samples corresponds to the
condition of generated charge carriers complete collection by p-n junctions in the base of the solar cell and in
deposited epitaxial layers when Z t Z0: Q(Z) = 1, G = 0. In this case, the solution of equations (7) yields the values
of ideal structure’s parameters di(0) (i = 2, 3,..., N) and that of cascade solar cell photoresponse,

S (0) 1/ N , (10)

that does not depend on the spectrum of the concentrated radiation.

The value of theoretical upper-limit photocurrent of cascade solar cell under concentrated radiation is defined by
the following expression:

K
J) q ˜ K ˜ S (0) ˜ ) 0 ( Eg ) q˜ ˜ ) 0 ( Eg ) . (11)
N

For real constructions it is advisable to use cascade structures with finite values G and an ideal base PC with
Q(Z) = 1 at any frequency within the operating range of the radiation spectrum. For this case, photoresponse is equal
to:

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 S  N
f ¦ d k  2G ( N  1) .
k 2
 (12)

Weak light absorption in tunnel junctions of semiconductor structures

In the assumption that conditions G << di (i = 2, 3,..., N) are valid, the problem of structure parameters
optimisation for a high-efficient real cascade solar cell At can be reduced to the solution of general system of
equations, linearized by G. By introducing function g(x) = –df(x)/dx that represents the charge carriers generation
intensity in the bulk of semiconductor at a distance of x from the illuminated surface of the structure per unit of
quanta flux density of photoactive radiation in the spectral range Z t Z0, we can obtain the final expression for first-
order corrections calculation of photoresponse 'S:

G
   
N
[ g  0   g ¦ d k (0)  2¦ g ¦ d k (0) ] ,
N N
'S  (13)
N k 2 i 3 k i

where index (0) indicates values corresponding to G = 0.

Upper-limit efficiency of cascade solar cell under concentrated radiation

The best realisable current-voltage characteristic of cascade solar cell, corresponding to the highest attainable
efficiency values, represents the characteristic of the N series-connected single PCs with optimised cascade
semiconductor structure. The ideal current-voltage characteristic of each p-n junction includes limiting photocurrent
J) and the lowest possible value of reverse saturation dark current J0 determined by charge carriers diffusion in
conditions of only radiative recombination, J0 = J0r [5]. The limiting open circuit voltage

U oc N ˜ ( kT / q ) ln  K ˜ S ˜ q ˜ ) 0 ( Eg ) / J 0 r  1 , (14)

grows logarithmically with radiation concentration ratio K, and it increases weaker than linearly with the number N
of single PC in the cascade. Assuming that K˜S˜q˜)0(Eg) >> J0r, the expression for the upper-limit efficiency Kct of
cascade solar cell (according to the method described in [5]) is valid:

­° kT ª § K kT · º ½°
Kct S ˜ N ˜ ®Kt  K0 ˜ «ln( K ˜ S )  ln ¨ 0 ln( K ˜ S )  1¸ » ¾ ,
¨K E ¸»
(15)
°¯ Eg «¬ © t g ¹ ¼ ¿°

where value Kt is used to define the theoretical upper-limit efficiency of conventional planar converter of solar
radiation with single p-n junction in conditions of only radiative recombination [6].
The upper-limit theoretical efficiency of cascade solar cell Kct(0), corresponding to S = S(0) = 1/N, grows
approximately logarithmically with solar radiation concentration ratio K. At the same time, it decreases
logarithmically with number N of single PC in the cascade. For instance, for K = 1 it is below the maximum
theoretical efficiency Kt of conventional solar cell with single p-n junction. While studying converters of solar
radiation, a model radiation spectrum is normally used which is, in most cases, is that of black body radiation
spectrum at temperature TS = 6000 K presented by an empirical dependence of D on the radiation wavelength in the
spectral range of 0.4 μm to 1.1 μm [6]. The theoretical upper-limit efficiency is presented in Fig. 1a.
As it can be seen, for radiation concentration ratios of about 100, which is nearly the highest value for silicon
solar cells; the theoretical upper-limit efficiency of cascade exceeds its typical value for conventional converters
without solar concentrator. At the same, time upper-limit photocurrent value is N times lower than that of
conventional planar solar cell. It complies with the condition of low light injection of charge carriers and confirms
the validity of using the model of linear photoresponse for cascade solar cell with radiation concentrator.

020075-4
 N N; d[m]
31 30
Top limit theoretical efficiency, %

Top limit physical efficiency, %

1 2; 0,02
30 29 3; 0,02
2 2; 0,05
3 4; 0,02
29 4 28
2; 0,07
5 5; 0,02
27
28 3; 0,05
26 3; 0,07
27 4; 0,05
25 5; 0,05
4; 0,07
26
24 5; 0,07

25
23
24 22

23 21
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
&RQFHQWUDWLRQRIUDGLDWLRQɄ &RQFHQWUDWLRQRIUDGLDWLRQɄ

(a) (b)
FIGURE 1. (a) The dependence of the top limit theoretical efficiency of silicon cascade from the concentration of solar radiation
and (b) the dependence of the top limit physical efficiency silicon cascade from the concentration of solar radiation

The dependence of physical upper-limit efficiency for silicon cascade solar cell on solar radiation concentration
ratio K is presented in Fig. 1b for various N in the range of N = 2 to 5, in linear approximation by G (Pm). It grows
logarithmically with solar radiation concentration ratio K and decreases logarithmically with number N of the single
PC.
Thus, concentrated radiation is an effective tool to enhance substantially the both theoretical and physical upper-
limit efficiency homogeneous cascade solar cell. For fixed number N, the maximum values of open circuit voltage
and efficiency of cascade solar cell increases monotonously with radiation concentration ratio K, nearly
proportionally to ln K. Open circuit voltage grows weaker than linearly with N while the upper-limit efficiency
decreases monotonously remaining approximately proportional to ln N. Decrease in maximum efficiency of the
cascade with dead layer’s thickness G and with number N of single PC in the cascade is generally determined by
actual values of product solar cell. Under radiation with high concentration ratios (K > 10), maximum efficiency
does not depend on K. Validity of linear photoresponse model for cascade solar cell under concentrated radiation has
been proved for relatively high radiation concentration ratios (in the range of up to K ~ 20) that can be applied to
silicon cascades formed upon a conventional base PC.

REFERENCES
1. Yu. D. Arbuzov, V. M. Evdokimov, D. S Strebkov, O. V. Shepovalova, RF Patent No. 2371811 (06 May
2008).
2. A. M. Vasiliev, V. M. Evdokimov, A. P. Landsman and A. F. Milovanov, Geliotekhnika 2, 18-24 (1975).
3. Yu. D. Arbuzov, V. M. Evdokimov, Fundamentals of Photovoltaics (GNU VIESH, Moscow, 2008).
4. Yu. D. Arbuzov, V. M. Evdokimov, O. V. Shepovalova, Applied Solar Energy Vol. 51, No 4, 235-244 (2015).
5. Yu. D. Arbuzov, V. M. Evdokimov, Geliotekhnika 1, 3-22 (1993).
6. Seraphin B.O., ed. “Solar energy conversion: solid-state physics aspects”, in Topics in applied physics. 31,
edited by B. O. Seraphin (Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York, 1979).

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