V-groove etched 1-eV-GaInNAs nipi solar cell

Abstract

Simulated and experimental properties of a Ga(1-x)In(x)As(1-y)N(y)nipi solar cell involving V-grooves for contact formation are reported. In particular, using a drift-diffusion model, we simulate the conversion efficiency, the short-circuit current density (J(SC)), and the open-circuit voltage (V-OC) as a function of the number of nipi junctions. Based on the modelling results, optimized nipi solar cell incorporating five n-p junction pairs was grown on a p-type GaAs (100) substrate using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The bandgap of the nipi structure was determined to be 1eV. The metal contacts of the nipi solar cell structure were processed in the form of mesa and V-groove. These shapes enable both vertical and horizontal carrier transport within the solar cell. The effect of thermal annealing on J-V characteristics of both type of devices is finally assessed. The results point out that the V-groove sample has better photovoltaic characteristics than the mesa structure sample.