Influence of series resistance on guidelines for manufacture of concentrator p-on-n GaAs solar cells

This paper deals with the determination of the main factors influencing ser ies resistance in p-on-n GaAs solar cells working at concentration levels o f 1000 suns or higher. Prior to this analysis, a comparison between differe nt front metal grid geometries is presented to show the strong influence th at the front grid component of series resistance exerts on its global value . Once the inverted square grid geometry is selected, a detailed analysis o f the different components of series resistance is carried out. For this pu rpose, a multidimensional optimisation of the whole GaAs solar cell (antire flecting coatings, series resistance and semiconductor structure) has been used for the first time. In order to orient the manufacture of very high co ncentrator GaAs solar cells, recommendations on the threshold values of sol ar cell size, specific p- and n-contact resistances, thickness of the front metal grid and both doping level and thickness of the substrate are formul ated. Several traditional ideas on the influence of these parameters are qu estioned. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.