This article is cited in 17 papers

Semiconductor physics

Study of minority carrier diffusion lengths in photoactive layers of multijunction solar cells

S. A. Mintairov, V. M. Andreev, V. M. Emelyanov, N. A. Kalyuzhnyy, N. K. Timoshina, M. Z. Shvarts, V. M. Lantratov

Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg

Abstract: A technique for determining a minority carrier’s diffusion length in photoactive III–V layers of solar cells by approximating their spectral characteristics is presented. Single-junction GaAs, Ge and multi-junction GaAs/Ge, GaInP/GaAs, and GaInP/GaInAs/Ge solar cells fabricated by hydride metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy (H-MOVPE) have been studied. The dependences of the minority carrier diffusion length on the doping level of $p$-Ge and $n$-GaAs are determined. It is shown that the parameters of solid-state diffusion of phosphorus atoms to the $p$-Ge substrate from the $n$-GaInP nucleation layer are independent of the thickness of the latter within 35–300 nm. It is found that the diffusion length of subcells of multijunction structures in Ga(In)As layers is smaller in comparison with that of single-junction structures.

Received: 30.12.2009
Accepted: 13.01.2009

 English version: Semiconductors, 2010, 44:8, 1084–1089

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