Thermal stability of gallium arsenide solar cells

conference paper

English

This article summarizes a measurement of gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells during their thermal processing. These solar cells compared to standard silicon cells have better efficiency and high thermal stability. However, their use is partly limited due to high acquisition costs. For these reasons, GaAs cells are deployed only in the most demanding applications where their features are needed, such as space applications. In this work, GaAs solar cells were studied in a high temperature range within 30–650 ◦ C where their functionality and changes in surface topology were monitored. These changes were recorded using an electron microscope which determined the position of the defects; using an atomic force microscope we determined the roughness of the surface and an infrared camera that showed us the thermal radiated places of the defected parts of the cell. The electrical characteristics of the cells during processing were determined by its current-voltage characteristics. Despite the occurrence of subtle changes on the solar cell with newly created surface features after 300 ◦ C thermal processing, its current-voltage characteristic remained without a significant change.

GaAs, AFM, SEM, I-V characteristics, thermal processing, roughness, morphology

PAPEŽ, N.; ŠKVARENINA, Ľ.; TOFEL, P.; SOBOLA, D.

1. 12. 2017

9781510617032

Photonics, Devices, and Systems VII

0277-786X

Proceedings of SPIE

10603

United States of America

543

548

6

http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2292673