Holographic spectrum splitter for ultra-high efficiency photovoltaics
Summary (2 min read)
1. INTRODUCTION
- Single-junction photovoltaics have a theoretical detailed-balance efficiency limit of about 33%1.
- To increase photovoltaic conversion efficiencies beyond this, the authors turn to multijunction solar cells, which address losses due to lack of absorption of photons with energy below the material’s bandgap energy and also address losses due to thermalization of carriers generated by photons with energy greater than the bandgap energy.
- This kind of cell has the advantage of intrinsic splitting of the solar spectrum into different frequency bands.
- They can have diffraction efficiencies (intensity of total incident light to intensity of light going into the correct diffracted order) of up to 100% with low-absorption, low-scatter materials.
- The holographic material is a key component of this design.
2.1 Our design
- The holographic spectrum splitter is a linear compound element composed of four stacks of three gratings each arranged in a line.
- Each stack diffracts normal or nearly normal incidence light into four spectral bands.
- Lattice-matched III-V alloys can be found for each of these subcell pairs.
- Edge effects in the holograms are assumed to be negligible.
- Proc. of SPIE Vol. 8821 882105-2 Downloaded From: https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie on 7/5/2018 Terms of Use: https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/terms-of-use.
2.2 Design considerations
- Each grating is designed for a particular wavelength within its spectral band.
- Holographic diffraction gratings have a decrease in diffraction efficiency as the wavelength deviates from this design wavelength as shown in Figure 1.
- Thus most of the light is falling not just on the intended cell, but also onto one of its neighbors.
- A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) takes any light incident on its input aperture within a certain half-angle (its acceptance angle) from the normal and reflects it to its output aperture.
- Proc. of SPIE Vol. 8821 882105-4 Downloaded From: https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie on 7/5/2018 Terms of Use: https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/terms-of-use.
2.3 Hologram Modeling
- The authors use Moharam and Gaylord’s 1977 generalized coupled wave analysis (GCWA) to model the holographic gratings16.
- This leaves a system of 1st order, coupled linear differential equations to solve.
- In their calculations, transmitted diffracted orders -7 to +7 have been retained.
- The GCWA approach balances accuracy and computational expense better than more conventional choices.
- Rigorous coupled wave analysis, on the other hand, gives a more accurate solution (it is exact for a grating of infinite area when an infinite number of diffracted orders are used) but is computationally expensive.
3. DATA/RESULTS
- To model the full compound holographic spectrum splitter, the output of each successive grating in a particular stack is found using GCWA for normally incident light.
- The intensity of light diffracted into orders -7 to +7 by the top hologram is calculated and those orders with greater than 0.01% diffraction efficiency are retained and become an input into the 2nd grating in the stack.
- Finally, the output intensities and diffraction angles from the final grating are used to determine which underlying solar cell any particular output from the bottommost grating will hit.
- These pairs are current-matched but not lattice-matched.
- All together the sub-module is expected to have a realistic efficiency of 36.14%.
4. CONCLUSIONS
- The authors have designed a holographic spectrum splitter than generates four spectral bands and separates them onto four dualjunction solar cells for a total of 8 bandgaps.
- The system is designed using commercially available simple sinusoidal holographic diffraction gratings.
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Frequently Asked Questions (20)
Q2. What is the effective index of refraction of the DCG gratings?
The effective index of refraction of the DCG gratings is 1.3 while the substrate, commonly fused silica or glass ranges from 1.45 to 1.55.
Q3. What is the output of the grating?
the output intensities and diffraction angles from the final grating are used to determine which underlying solar cell any particular output from the bottommost grating will hit.
Q4. What is the optimum output to the cells?
The optimum output to the cells accounting for both increased concentration and increased loss from the concentrator must be balanced.
Q5. What is the way to model the holographic gratings?
Coupledwave analysis, considering only the input (0th order) and 1st order output is a valid approximation when the angle of incidence is near the Bragg angle and the grating is thick.
Q6. How many diffraction bands can be adduced into a hol?
the index of refraction modulation can vary from 0.01 to up to 0.4, but as this index modulation increases scattering into spurious diffraction orders also increases14, so the authors have restricted the range of search from 0.01 to 0.06.
Q7. What is the effect of the current match?
As the solar input varies over the course of a day or year or with changing location, the current match may no longer hold, decreasing efficiency.
Q8. What is the angular sensitivity of diffractive optics?
Since using angle-of-incidence sensitive diffractive optics requires tracking of the sun and use of only the light in the direct solar spectrum rather than the global solar spectrum, concentration allows both a compensation for the diffuse light lost as well as the potential to access much higher overall efficiencies.
Q9. How many photons are hitting each of the four tandem cells?
The total output fraction of input light intensity hitting each cell can be converted to a photon flux using the AM1.5d spectrum to determine how many above bandgap photons are hitting each of the four tandem cells.
Q10. What is the optimum amount of absorber materials?
However since the lattice constants of epitaxially grown layers must be the same or similar to maintain high material quality and minimize defects, there are limits to the number of absorber materials that can be incorporated.
Q11. What is the spectral band of the gratings?
Each of the three diffraction gratings diffracts one spectral band into its first diffracted order toward the cell it is intended for and a fourth band of light passes straight through the three holographic gratings (in their zeroth order) to the cell directly underneath.
Q12. What is the angle of incidence of light?
As the wavelength deviates slightly from the design wavelength, so too does the angle corresponding to the output diffraction order shift slightly.
Q13. What is the angular sensitivity of the CPC?
In the concentration scheme used for the holographic splitter (Fig. 2), the top CPC is a curved, silvered mirror, which concentrates light orthogonal to the direction of spectral splitting.
Q14. What are the de-rating factors for holograms?
These de-rating factors account for losses such as non-radiative recombination and parasitic absorption and produce realistic cell efficiency estimates from the theoretical detailed balance calculation.
Q15. What is the optimum bandgap material for solar cells?
Thus using higher bandgap materials to collect higher energy photons returns more electrical energy upon absorption and collection.
Q16. how much efficiency is the holographic spectrum splitter?
Estimated system efficiency accounting for realistic cell performance and other losses is 36.14%, matching current records for lateral spectral splitting, with the potential for much higher efficiency upon future design iteration.
Q17. What is the GCWA method used to model the holographic spectrum splitter?
To model the full compound holographic spectrum splitter, the output of each successive grating in a particular stack is found using GCWA for normally incident light.
Q18. What is the effect of the grating on the diffraction efficiency?
Holographic diffraction gratings have a decrease in diffraction efficiency as the wavelength deviates from this design wavelength as shown in Figure 1.
Q19. What is the optimum spectral efficiency of the holograms?
They have a combined de-rated detailed balance efficiency of 46.97% using these de-rated parameters of 90% absorption, 1% ERE for unconcentrated illumination and perfect spectral splitting.
Q20. What is the trade-off between holographic materials and available substrates?
This trade-off also incentivizes the use of holographic materials which can be better index-matched to available substrates and which do not require post-processing which might alter their pre- and post-recording properties.