Modeling and Characterization of an MBE-Grown Concentrator P-N GaSb Solar Cells Using a Pseudo-3D Model

Abstract

The heterogeneous integration of a GaSb subcell into a 4-terminal cell is currently experiencing a regain of interest for high concentrator multijunction photovoltaics. In this context, the assessment of the lateral charge carrier transport in a GaSb cell under concentrated light is fundamental. The characterization and modeling of a GaSb single-junction solar cell under concentration are presented here. The originality of this article resides in the fine analysis of experimental data using an in-house pseudo-3-D model where the intrinsic diode is modeled with a temperature-dependent 1-D physical model. The limiting factors responsible for the performance drop under concentrated light are discussed. It is also demonstrated that an efficiency of 12.5% can be reached under 64 suns with realistic technological improvements.