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A 19.9%-efficient ultrathin solar cell based on a 205-nm-thick GaAs absorber and a silver nanostructured back mirror

Author

Listed:
  • Hung-Ling Chen

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay)

  • Andrea Cattoni

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay)

  • Romaric De Lépinau

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay
    Institut Photovoltaïque d’Ile-de-France (IPVF))

  • Alexandre W. Walker

    (Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)
    National Research Council of Canada)

  • Oliver Höhn

    (Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE))

  • David Lackner

    (Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE))

  • Gerald Siefer

    (Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE))

  • Marco Faustini

    (Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Collège de France)

  • Nicolas Vandamme

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay)

  • Julie Goffard

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay
    Institut Photovoltaïque d’Ile-de-France (IPVF))

  • Benoît Behaghel

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay)

  • Christophe Dupuis

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay)

  • Nathalie Bardou

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay)

  • Frank Dimroth

    (Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE))

  • Stéphane Collin

    (University Paris-Sud/Paris-Saclay
    Institut Photovoltaïque d’Ile-de-France (IPVF))

Abstract

Conventional photovoltaic devices are currently made from relatively thick semiconductor layers, ~150 µm for silicon and 2–4 µm for Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2, CdTe or III–V direct bandgap semiconductors. Ultrathin solar cells using 10 times thinner absorbers could lead to considerable savings in material and processing time. Theoretical models suggest that light trapping can compensate for the reduced single-pass absorption, but optical and electrical losses have greatly limited the performances of previous attempts. Here, we propose a strategy based on multi-resonant absorption in planar active layers, and we report a 205-nm-thick GaAs solar cell with a certified efficiency of 19.9%. It uses a nanostructured silver back mirror fabricated by soft nanoimprint lithography. Broadband light trapping is achieved with multiple overlapping resonances induced by the grating and identified as Fabry–Perot and guided-mode resonances. A comprehensive optical and electrical analysis of the complete solar cell architecture provides a pathway for further improvements and shows that 25% efficiency is a realistic short-term target.

Suggested Citation

  • Hung-Ling Chen & Andrea Cattoni & Romaric De Lépinau & Alexandre W. Walker & Oliver Höhn & David Lackner & Gerald Siefer & Marco Faustini & Nicolas Vandamme & Julie Goffard & Benoît Behaghel & Christo, 2019. "A 19.9%-efficient ultrathin solar cell based on a 205-nm-thick GaAs absorber and a silver nanostructured back mirror," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 4(9), pages 761-767, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:4:y:2019:i:9:d:10.1038_s41560-019-0434-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0434-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Jiangang Feng & Xi Wang & Jia Li & Haoming Liang & Wen Wen & Ezra Alvianto & Cheng-Wei Qiu & Rui Su & Yi Hou, 2023. "Resonant perovskite solar cells with extended band edge," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Fadi Jebali & Atreya Majumdar & Clément Turck & Kamel-Eddine Harabi & Mathieu-Coumba Faye & Eloi Muhr & Jean-Pierre Walder & Oleksandr Bilousov & Amadéo Michaud & Elisa Vianello & Tifenn Hirtzlin & Fr, 2024. "Powering AI at the edge: A robust, memristor-based binarized neural network with near-memory computing and miniaturized solar cell," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.

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