Engineering topics

Goradia, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Goradia, M..

8 records

NASA NTRS2004

Passivating Window/First Layer AR Coating for Space Solar Cells

Chemically grown oxides, if well designed, offer excellent surface passivation of the emitter surface of space solar cells and can be used as effective passivating window/first layer AR coating. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of using a simple room temperature wet chemical technique to grow cost effective passivating layers on solar cell front surfaces after the front grid metallization step. These passivating layers can be grown both on planar and porous surfaces. Our results show that these oxide layers: (i) can effectively passivate the from the surface, (ii) can serve as an effective optical window/first layer AR coating, (iii) are chemically, thermally and UV stable, and (iv) have the potential of improving the BOL and especially the EOL efficiency of space solar cells. The potential of using this concept to simplify the III-V based space cell heterostructures while increasing their BOL and EOL efficiency is also discussed.

Faur, Mircea↗

NASA NTRS1995

Design of a three-layer antireflection coating for high efficiency indium phosphide solar cells using a chemical oxide as first layer

It is well known that the behavior of III-V compound based solar cells is largely controlled by their surface, since the majority of light generated carriers (63% for GaAs and 79% for InP) are created within 0.2 mu m of the surface of the illuminated cell. Consequently, the always observed high surface recombination velocity (SRV) on these cells is a serious limiting factor for their high efficiency performance, especially for those with p-n junction made by either thermal diffusion or ion implantation. A good surface passivation layer, ideally a grown oxide as opposed to a deposited one, will cause a significant reduction in the SRV without adding interface problems, thus improving the performance of III-V compound based solar cells. Another significant benefit to the overall performance of the solar cells can be achieved by a substantial reduction of their large surface optical reflection by the use of a well designed antireflection (AR) coating. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of using a chemically grown thermally and chemically stable oxide, not only for surface passivation but also as an integral part of a 3-layer AR coating for thermally diffused p+n InP solar cells. A phosphorus-rich interfacial oxide, In(PO3)3, is grown at the surface of the p+ emitter using an etchant based on HNO3, o-H3PO4 and H2O2. This oxide has the unique properties of passivating the surface as well as serving as an efficient antireflective layer yielding a measured record high AMO open-circuit voltage of 890.3 mV on a thermally diffused InP(Cd,S) solar cell. Unlike conventional single layer AR coatings such as ZnS, Sb2O3, SiO or double layer AR coatings such as ZnS/MgF2 deposited by e-beam or resistive evaporation, this oxide preserves the stoichiometry of the InP surface. We show that it is possible to design a three-layer AR coating for a thermally diffused InP solar cell using the In(PO3)3 grown oxide as the first layer and Al2O3 and MgF2 as the second and third layers respectively, so as to yield an overall theoretical reflectance of less than 2%. Since chemical oxides are readily grown on III-V semiconductors materials, the technique of using the grown oxide layer to both passivate the surface as well as serve as the first of a multilayer AR coating should work well for all III-V compound-based solar cells.

Moulot, Jacques↗

NASA NTRS1994

Status of diffused junction p+n InP solar cells for space applications

Recently, we have succeeded in fabricating diffused junction p(sup +)n(Cd,S) InP solar cells with measured AMO, 25 C open circuit voltage (V(sub OC)) of 887.6 mV, which, to the best of our knowledge, is higher than previously reported V(sub OC) values for any InP homojunction solar cells. The experiment-based projected achievable efficiency of these cells using LEC grown substrates is 21.3 percent. The maximum AMO, 25 C internal losses due to date on bare cells is, however, only 13.2 percent. This is because of large external and internal losses due to non-optimized front grid design, antireflection (AR) coating and emitter thickness. This paper summarizes recent advances in the technology of fabrication of p(sup +)n InP diffused structures and solar cells, resulted from a study undertaken in an effort to increase the cell efficiency. The topics discussed in this paper include advances in: (1) the formation on thin p(sup +) InP:Cd emitter layers, (2) electroplated front contacts, (3) surface passivation and (4) the design of a new native oxide/Al2O3/MgF2 tree layer AR coating using a chemically-grown P-rich passivating oxide as a first layer. Based on the high radiation resistance and the excellent post-irradiation annealing and recovery demonstrated in the early tests done to date, as well as the projected high efficiency and low-cost high-volume fabricability, these cells show a very good potential for space photovoltaic applications.

Faur, Mircea↗

NASA NTRS1993

Progress in p(+)n InP solar cells fabricated by thermal diffusion

The performance results of our most recently thermally diffused InP solar cells using the p(+)n (Cd,S) structures are presented. We have succeeded in fabricating cells with measured AMO, 25 C V(sub oc) exceeding 880 mV (bare cells) which to the best of our knowledge is higher than previously reported V(sub oc) values for any InP homojunction solar cells. The cells were fabricated by thinning the emitter, after Au-Zn front contacting, from its initial thickness of about 4.5 microns to about 0.6 microns. After thinning, the exposed surface of the emitter was passivated by a thin (approximately 50A) P-rich oxide. Based on the measured EQY and J(sub sc)-V(sub oc) characteristics of our experimental high V(sub oc) p(+)n InP solar cells, we project that reducing the emitter thickness to 0.3 microns, using an optimized AR coating, maintaining the surface hole concentration of 3 x 10(exp 18)cm(sup -3), reducing the grid shadowing from actual 10.55 percent to 6 percent and reducing the contact resistance will increase the actual measured 12.57 percent AMO 25 C efficiency to about 20.1 percent. By using our state-of-the-art p(+)n structures which have a surface hole concentration of 4 x 10(exp 18)cm(sup -3) and slightly improving the front surface passivation, an even higher practically achievable AMO, 25 C efficiency of 21.3 percent is projected.

Flood, D. J.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Electrochemical characterization of p(+)n and n(+)p diffused InP structures

The relatively well documented and widely used electrolytes for characterization and processing of Si and GaAs-related materials and structures by electrochemical methods are of little or no use with InP because the electrolytes presently used either dissolve the surface preferentially at the defect areas or form residual oxides and introduce a large density of surface states. Using an electrolyte which was newly developed for anodic dissolution of InP, and was named the 'FAP' electrolyte, accurate characterization of InP related structures including nature and density of surface states, defect density, and net majority carrier concentration, all as functions of depth was performed. A step-by-step optimization of n(+)p and p(+)n InP structures made by thermal diffusion was done using the electrochemical techniques, and resulted in high performance homojunction InP structures.

Wilt, David M.↗

NASA NTRS1991

A comparative study of p(+)n and n(+)p InP solar cells made by a closed ampoule diffusion

The purpose was to demonstrate the possibility of fabricating thermally diffused p(+)n InP solar cells having high open-circuit voltage without sacrificing the short circuit current. The p(+)n junctions were formed by closed-ampoule diffusion of Cd through a 3 to 5 nm thick anodic or chemical phosphorus-rich oxide cap layer grown on n-InP:S Czochralski LEC grown substrates. For solar cells made by thermal diffusion the p(+)n configuration is expected to have a higher efficiency than the n(+)p configuration. It is predicted that the AM0, BOL efficiencies approaching 19 percent should be readily achieved providing that good ohmic front contacts could be realized on the p(+) emitters of thickness lower than 1 micron.

Faur, M.↗

NASA NTRS1991

High voltage thermally diffused p(+)n solar cells

The possibility of fabricating thermally diffused p(+)n InP solar-cells with high open-circuit voltage without sacrificing the short circuit current is discussed. The p(+)n InP junctions were formed by Cd and Zn diffusion through a 3-5-nm-thick anodic or chemical phosphorus-rich oxide cap layer grown on n:InP:S (with ND-NA = 3.5 x 10 exp 16 and 4.5 x 10 exp 17/cu cm) Czochralski LEC-grown substrates. After thinning the emitter from its initial thickness of 1 to 2.5 micron down to 0.06-0.15 micron, the maximum efficiency was found when the emitter was 0.2 to 0.3 micron thick. Typical AM0, 25 C values of 854-860 mV were achieved for Voc, Jsc values were from 25.9 to 29.1 mA/sq cm using only the P-rich passivating layer left after the thinning process as an antireflection coating.

Faur, M.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Study of a cesium plasma as a selective emitter for thermophotovoltaic applications

This experimental study evaluates the potential of a cesium plasma as an emitter for a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion system. A cesium plasma, as a result of the ground-state transitions of its single outer-shell electron, produces large amounts of radiation in the 850-890-nm wavelength region. This would provide excellent coupling to silicon, gallium arsenide, and indium phosphide photovoltaic cells. Measurements of the radiative efficiency, the sum of the power at the 852 and 894 nm wavelengths relative to the total emitted power, were made and correlated to the plasma operating variables. It was determined that, for atomic density in the range (3-6) x 10 exp 21/cu cm and electron temperature in the range 2000-3000 K, radiative efficiencies in excess of 70 percent are attainable. This would indicate that a cesium plasma with its selective emission characteristics and low electron operating temperatures of 2000-3000 K would be an excellent candidate as an emitter in a TPV system.

Lowe, R.↗