Reduction in connecting resistivity and optical reflection loss at intermediate layer for mechanically stacked multijunction solar cells

Abstract

Reduction in the connecting resistivity and optical reflection loss at the intermediate region of mechanically stacked multijunction solar cells are discussed. The top and bottom substrates were bonded using an epoxy-type adhesive with dispersed transparent and conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) particles. The connecting resistivity of the intermediate layer was substantially decreased to 0.12 Ω cm2 for the stacked Si substrates with 40 nm surfaces roughened by SF6/Ar plasma irradiation. The optical reflectivity of the stacked GaAs and Si substrates was well decreased by the insertion of 130-nm-thick transparent and conductive indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) layers at the interfaces between the semiconductor substrates and the intermediate adhesive. The IGZO layers functioned as antireflection layers and provided high effective absorbance to the bottom Si substrates for light wavelength regions, in which the top GaAs substrate was transparent and the bottom Si substrate was opaque. The effective absorbencies at incident light angles between 0 and 50° ranged from 0.94 to 0.95 for the stacked GaAs and Si structure with IGZO layers, and from 0.80 to 0.82 for the structure without IGZO layers.