High-temperature (450°C) operation of InGaP solar cell under N 2 ambient using refractory metal contacts

We have developed an InGaP solar cell structure capable of operating at 450°C under N 2 ambient. This structure has been annealed for over 70h without degradation in room temperature performance. This type of structure has applications in hybrid solar energy plants which combine photovoltaic and thermal collection systems to maximize overall conversion efficiency. We anticipate that this device will be able to achieve up to 17% efficiency at 400°C and 500x concentration based on simulations with incorporated optical and electrical high-temperature semiconductor parameters.