Hydrogen is a valuable and versatile energy currency; it may be produced by harvesting solar energy and later used as a fuel to generate electricity any time of the day. This energy transaction of solar energy to hydrogen is evaluated in this work by employing a one-to-one multi-junction solar cell to proton exchange membrane combined system in a laboratory setting. Both components of the system were commercially available. The energy conversion efficiency of each isolated system was first evaluated to determine the ideal operation conditions of each respective system. For input currents in the range of 60 mA to 440 mA, the proton exchange membrane converted electrical energy to chemical potential energy with an efficiency greater than 90%. The multi-junction solar cell reached efficiencies of up to 33% while under a solar concentration of 30 Suns. The current and voltage characteristics, which resulted in the optimal operation of the isolated systems did not align and therefore, both systems were not operating at their ideal operation conditions when in the combined system. The overall energy conversion efficiency of the system was measured to be at most 19.1% under 25 Suns, an efficiency higher than systems employing traditional silicon solar cells. It was theorized that if the two system were operating under ideal conditions, the overall energy conversion efficiency would be 30.3% between 10 and 15 Suns. Methods to align the ideal operation conditions of the two systems are presented.

Notwithstanding several years of robust growth, solar energy still only accounts for<1% of total electrical generation in the US. Before solar energy can substantially replace fossil fuels subsidy-free at utility scale, further cost reductions and efficiency improvements are needed in complete generating systems. Flat panel silicon PV modules are by far the most dominant solar technology today, but have little room for improvement in efficiency and are limited by balance of system costs. Concentrated PV (CPV) is an alternate approach with long-term potential for much higher efficiency in sunny climates. In CPV modules, large area optics collect and concentrate direct sunlight onto small multi-junction cells with>40% conversion efficiency. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto thermally absorbing receivers, which generate electricity with convention thermal cycles. In this dissertation, four new optical approaches to CPV and CSP with potential for lower cost are analyzed. Common to each approach is the use of large square glass reflectors, which have very low areal cost (~$35/m^2) and field-proven reliability in the CSP industry. Chapter 2 describes a freeform toroidal lens array used to intercept the low concentration line focus of a parabolic trough to produce multiple high concentration foci (>800X) for multi-junction cells. In Chapter 3, three embodiments of dish mirrors and freeform lenslet arrays are explored, including an off-axis system. In each case, a dish mirror illuminates a freeform lenslet array, which divides sunlight equally to a sparse matrix of multi-junction cells. The off-axis optical system achieves +/-0.45° acceptance angle and averages 1215X geometric concentration over 400 multi-junction cells. Chapter 4 proposes a new architecture for CSP central receivers that achieves extremely high collection efficiency (>70%) with unconventional heliostat field tracking. In Chapter 5, the design and preliminary testing of a spectrum-splitting hybrid PV/thermal generator is discussed. This system has the advantage of 'drop-in' capability in existing CSP trough plants and allows for thermal storage, an important mitigation to the intermittency of the solar resource.

A novel approach to the design of multi-junction solar cells on silicon substrates for 1-sun applications is described. Models for device simulation including porous silicon layers are presented. A silicon bottom subcell is formed by diffusion of dopants into a silicon wafer. The top of the wafer is porosified to create a compliant layer, and a III-V buffer layer is then grown epitaxially, followed by middle and top subcells. Due to the resistivity of the porous material, these designs are best suited to high efficiency 1-sun applications. Numerical simulations of a multi-junction solar cell incorporating a porous silicon compliant membrane indicate an efficiency of 30.7% under AM1.5G, 1-sun for low threading dislocation densities (TDD), decreasing to 23.7% for a TDD of 10^7 cm^-2.

In this work, the technique of designing and optimizing broadband volume transmission holograms using dichromate gelatin (DCG) is summarized for solar spectrum-splitting application. Spectrum splitting photovoltaic system uses a series of single bandgap PV cells that have different spectral conversion efficiency properties to more fully utilize the solar spectrum. In such a system, one or more high performance optical filters are usually required to split the solar spectrum and efficiently send them to the corresponding PV cells. An ideal spectral filter should have a rectangular shape with sharp transition wavelengths. DCG is a near ideal holographic material for solar applications as it can achieve high refractive index modulation, low absorption and scattering properties and long-term stability to solar exposure after sealing. In this research, a methodology of designing and modeling a transmission DCG hologram using coupled wave analysis for different PV bandgap combinations is described. To achieve a broad diffraction bandwidth and sharp cut-off wavelength, a cascaded structure of multiple thick holograms is described. A search algorithm is also developed to optimize both single and two-layer cascaded holographic spectrum splitters for the best bandgap combinations of two- and three-junction SSPV systems illuminated under the AM1.5 solar spectrum. The power conversion efficiencies of the optimized systems under the AM1.5 solar spectrum are then calculated using the detailed balance method, and shows an improvement compared with tandem structure.

A novel approach to the design of multi-junction solar cells on silicon substrates for 1-sun applications is described. Models for device simulation including porous silicon layers are presented. A silicon bottom subcell is formed by diffusion of dopants into a silicon wafer. The top of the wafer is porosified to create a compliant layer, and a III-V buffer layer is then grown epitaxially, followed by middle and top subcells. Due to the resistivity of the porous material, these designs are best suited to high efficiency 1-sun applications. Numerical simulations of a multi-junction solar cell incorporating a porous silicon compliant membrane indicate an efficiency of 30.7% under AM1.5G, 1-sun for low threading dislocation densities (TDD), decreasing to 23.7% for a TDD of 10^7 cm^-2.

Des rendements record à plus de 26% ont récemment été démontrés avec des cellules solaires en Si, approchant la limite théorique de 30% pour une seule jonction. Les cellules solaires à multi-jonctions (MJSC) fabriquées à base de matériaux III-V peuvent dépasser cette limite: des rendements supérieurs à 45% ont été reportés pour une cellule à 5 jonctions sous un soleil et pour une cellule à 4 jonctions sous lumière concentrée. Cependant, pour des applications terrestres, le coût élevé de ces technologies impose l’utilisation d’une haute concentration, ce qui augmente la complexité du système.Une solution intermédiaire consiste à fabriquer des cellules solaires III-V à haut rendement sur des substrats Si, moins coûteux que les substrats III-V ou Ge utilisés dans les MJSC classiques. Des rendements supérieurs à 33% ont déjà été démontrés pour des MJSC fabriquées par collage direct. Ceci, combiné aux progrès récents dans la réutilisation des substrats III-V, présage un avenir prometteur pour les cellules solaires tandem III-V sur Si, ce qui pourrait mener à la prochaine génération de systèmes photovoltaïques à haut rendement et faible coût.Dans ce travail de thèse, des cellules solaires tandem AlGaAs//Si à 2 jonctions (2J) et GaInP/AlGaAs//Si à 3 jonctions (3J) ont été fabriquées par collage direct, ce qui a donné lieu à une configuration à 2 terminaux (2T).Différentes techniques de collage ont été étudiées, notamment une approche innovante présentant un potentiel d'industrialisation prometteur pour l’intégration des matériaux III-V sur Si. Les propriétés électriques de l'interface de collage GaAs//Si ont été analysées à l'aide de dispositifs de test dédiés conçus au CEA, permettant d'évaluer la résistance d'interface et le mécanisme de conduction.Des caractérisations et simulations expérimentales ont été effectuées afin d'optimiser le design et le processus de fabrication, conduisant à des rendements record. Pour la sous-cellule supérieure en AlGaAs de la 2J, cela comprend l'utilisation d'une fenêtre en AlInP avec un émetteur en GaInP, formant une hétérojonction n-GaInP/p-AlGaAs, qui améliore les performances pour les faibles longueurs d'onde. De plus, la réduction de l'épaisseur de la couche de collage en GaAs et l'utilisation d'une jonction tunnel en AlGaAs, avec bande interdite plus large, augmentent la transparence et donc le photocourant de la sous-cellule inférieure.Pour la sous-cellule inférieure en Si, les simulations ont permis d'identifier les facteurs clés qui limitent les performances, la durée de vie étant la caractéristique la plus critique dans les cellules Si épaisses utilisées. Dans le cas des interfaces III-V//Si, un émetteur fortement dopé est essentiel pour minimiser la recombinaison de surface et donc augmenter la tension en circuit ouvert. La passivation de la surface arrière est également importante, notamment pour augmenter la réponse dans l’infrarouge. Différents processus de diffusion et d'implantation ont été étudiés pour former l'émetteur. Les processus d'implantation ont montré moins de dégradation de la durée de vie et des surfaces moins rugueux, permettant ainsi le collage sans planarisation chimico-mécanique et donc des niveaux de dopage plus élevés en surface.Finalement, afin d’évaluer correctement le rendement de conversion de ces cellules tandem III-V sur Si, une méthode de caractérisation courant-tension rapide et peu coûteuse, adaptée aux MJSC sous faible concentration a été développée. Cette méthode ne nécessite pas de cellules isotypes parfaitement identiques, à la place, des cellules Si à simple jonction avec filtres optiques sont utilisées. Une efficacité de 23,7% sous 10 soleils a été démontrée de cette manière pour la cellule AlGaAs//Si, qui est le rendement le plus élevé signalé à ce jour pour une cellule tandem à base de Si avec 2J et 2T. / Si solar cells with record efficiencies over 26% have been recently demonstrated, approaching the Si single-junction limit of 30%. Multi-junction solar cells (MJSC) based on III-V materials can overcome this limit: efficiencies over 45% have been reported for a 5-junction under 1 sun and for a 4-junction under a concentrated illumination of 300 suns. Due to their elevated cost, these cells could be used in terrestrial applications only if operated under very high sunlight concentration for commercial terrestrial applications, which in turn increases the module and system complexity.An intermediate solution consists in fabricating high efficiency III-V solar cells on Si substrates, which are less expensive than the III-V or Ge substrates used in conventional MJSC. Mechanical-stacked and wafer-bonded solar cells, which avoid the unresolved issues of III-V on Si epitaxy, have already demonstrated efficiencies over 33%. This, combined with the recent advancements in the field of substrate reuse, predict a promising future for III-V on Si tandem solar cells, which could lead the next generation of high-efficiency and low-cost photovoltaics.In this PhD work, 2-junction (2J) AlGaAs//Si and 3-junction (3J) GaInP/AlGaAs//Si tandem solar cells were fabricated. The Si bottom subcell and the III-V top subcell(s) were joined together by wafer bonding, resulting in a 2-terminal (2T) III-V//Si solar cell configuration.Different wafer bonding techniques were studied, including an innovative bonding approach showing promising industrialization potential and thus, opening a new path for III-V on Si processing. The GaAs//Si bonding interface electrical properties were analyzed using dedicated test devices originally conceived at CEA, allowing to evaluate the interface resistance and the conduction mechanism.Experimental characterizations and simulations were performed in order to optimize the design and fabrication process, leading to record efficiencies. For the AlGaAs top subcell of the 2J, this includes the use of an AlInP window together with a GaInP emitter, forming an n-GaInP/p-AlGaAs heterojunction, which improved the short wavelength performance. In addition, the reduction of the GaAs bonding layer thickness and the use of a higher bandgap AlGaAs tunnel junction resulted in a higher transparency and a bottom subcell photocurrent improvement.For the Si bottom subcell, simulations allowed to identify the key factors that limit the performance, being the bulk lifetime the most critical characteristic in the thick Si cells used. In the case of III-V//Si interfaces, a highly doped emitter is crucial to minimize the surface recombination and maximize the open-circuit voltage, outweighing the drop in short-circuit current due to lifetime degradation. Back surface passivation is also important, specially to increase the infrared response. Different diffusion and implantation processes for the emitter formation were studied. Implantation processes showed less bulk lifetime degradation and smoother surfaces, thereby allowing bonding without chemical-mechanical planarization and thus higher doping levels at the surface.Finally, in order to correctly assess the efficiency of these III-V on Si tandem cells, a fast and low-cost current-voltage characterization method adapted for MJSC under low concentration was developed. This method does not require perfectly matched component cells and instead, Si single-junction cells with optical filters are used as pseudo-isotypes. An efficiency of 23.7% under 10 suns was demonstrated this way for the AlGaAs//Si cell, which is the highest efficiency reported to date for a 2J 2T Si-based tandem cell.

In this work a spectrum splitting micro-scale concentrating PV system is evaluated to increase the conversion efficiency of flat panel PV systems. In this approach, the dispersed spectrum splitting concentration systems is scaled down to a small size and structured in an array. The spectrum splitting configuration allows the use of separate single bandgap PV cells that increase spectral overlap with the incident solar spectrum. This results in an overall increase in the spectral conversion efficiency of the resulting system. In addition other benefits of the micro-scale PV system are retained such reduced PV cell material requirements, more versatile interconnect configurations, and lower heat rejection requirements that can lead to a lower cost system. The system proposed in this work consists of two cascaded off-axis holograms in combination with a micro lens array, and three types of PV cells. An aspherical lens design is made to minimize the dispersion so that higher concentration ratios can be achieved for a three-junction system. An analysis methodology is also developed to determine the optical efficiency of the resulting system, the characteristics of the dispersed spectrum, and the overall system conversion efficiency for a combination of three types of PV cells.

Les matériaux III-Sb ont prouvé leur potentiel pour la réalisation de composants opto-électroniques dans des domaines aussi variés que les télécommunications ou l'environnement. Cependant, ils restent une filière quasi-inexplorée pour les systèmes photovoltaïques classiques. Dans ce projet de recherche, nous voulons démontrer que les composants à base d'antimoniures sont des candidats prometteurs pour des cellules solaires à haute efficacité et bas coût. Leurs avantages sont multiples : non seulement offrent-ils un large panel d'alliages accordés en maille et des jonctions tunnel à basse résistivité, mais ils permettent aussi une croissance directe sur substrat de Si. Nous étudions donc les briques élémentaires d'une cellule solaire multi-jonction intégrée sur Si. Tout d'abord, nous développons la croissance et fabrication de cellules homo-épitaxiales en GaSb. Les caractéristiques tension-intensité (J-V) mesurées sont proches de l'état de l'art avec une efficacité sous un soleil de 5.9 %. Puis, nous intégrons une cellule à simple jonction GaSb sur un substrat de Si par épitaxie par jet moléculaire (EJM). Les analyses de diffraction X (DRX) et de microscopie à force atomique (AFM) montrent des propriétés de structure et morphologie proches de celles reportées pour des buffers métamorphiques similaires dans la littérature. Nous adaptons alors la configuration de la cellule pour éviter la haute densité de défauts à l'interface GaSb/Si. La cellule hétéro-épitaxiale a une efficacité réduite de 0.6 %. Ce résultat est néanmoins proche des dernières avancées sur les cellules GaSb sur GaAs, et ce, malgré un désaccord de maille plus important. Enfin, nous étudions l'épitaxie d'AlInAsSb. Cet alliage pourrait en théorie atteindre une grande gamme d'énergies de bande interdite tout en restant accordé sur GaSb. Néanmoins, il souffre d'une lacune de miscibilité importante, le rendant sujet à la ségrégation de phase. Il n'y a que peu de mentions de l'AlInAsSb dans la littérature, et toutes rapportent des conditions de croissance instables et des énergies de bande interdite plus basses qu'attendues. Nous réussissons à produire des couches de bonne qualité d'AlInAsSb dont la composition en Al varie de 0.25 à 0.75 et ne présentant aucun signe macroscopique de décomposition de phase. Toutefois, l'observation au microscope à transmission électronique (TEM) révèle des fluctuations de composition nanométriques. Les données de photoluminescence (PL) sont étudiées pour déterminer les propriétés électroniques de l'alliage. Les mesures d'efficacité quantique (QE) montrent que la sous-cellule du haut limite la performance de la cellule tandem. Des modélisations numériques des courbes J-V et QE sont utilisées pour identifier des pistes d'amélioration pour chaque brique élémentaire. / III-Sb materials have demonstrated their potential for multiple opto-electronic devices, with applications stretching from communications to environment. However, they remain an almost unexplored segment for classical photovoltaic systems. In this research, we intend to demonstrate that III-Sb-based devices are promising candidates for high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells. Their benefits are two-fold: not only do they offer a wide range of lattice-matched alloys and low-resistivity tunnel junctions, but they also enable direct growth on Si substrates. We thus investigate the building blocks of a GaSb-based multi-junction solar cell integrated onto Si. First, we develop the photovoltaic growth and processing by fabricating homo-epitaxial GaSb cells. Intensity-voltage (J-V) measurements approach the state of the art with 1-sun efficiency of 5.9%. Then, we integrate a GaSb single-junction cell on a Si substrate by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis show structural and morphological properties close to the best reported in the literature for similar metamorphic buffers. We further adapt the cell configuration to circumvent the high defect density at the GaSb/Si interface. The heteroepitaxial cell results in a reduced efficiency of 0.6%. Nevertheless, this performance is close the most recent advancements on GaSb heteroepitaxial cells on GaAs, despite a much larger mismatch. Last, we investigate the epitaxy of AlInAsSb. This alloy could in theory reach the widest range of bandgap energies while being lattice-matched to GaSb. However, it presents a large miscibility gap, making it vulnerable to phase segregation. AlInAsSb only counts few experimental reports in the literature, all referring to unoptimized growth conditions and abnormally low bandgap energies. We successfully grow good-quality layers with Al composition x_{Al} ranging from 0.25 to 0.75, showing no macroscopic sign of decomposition. Yet, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations point to nanometric fluctuations of the quaternary composition. Photoluminescence (PL) data is studied to determine the alloy's electronic properties. We eventually propose and fabricate a tandem cell structure, resulting in 5.2% efficiency. Quantum Efficiency (QE) measurements reveal that the top subcell is limiting the tandem performance. Numerical fits to both J-V and QE data indicate improvement paths for each building block.

Multi-junction photovoltaic devices based on III-V semiconductors have applications in space power systems and terrestrial concentrating photovoltaics, as well as in power-over-fibre and optical power conversion systems. These devices have between two and twenty junctions arranged in tandem, connected in series with optically transparent tunnel diodes. In some cases, they may include as many as eight different materials, including ternary and quaternary alloys, and >100 epitaxial layers in total. A general method for simulating performance of these devices using drift-diffusion based device simulation tools is reviewed. This includes discussion of the geometry, discretization, and physical equations to be solved. A set of material parameters for some important materials is listed, and solutions are shown for an example of a lattice-matched four-junction GaInP / (In)AlGaAs / InGaAsN(Sb) / Ge solar cell including a dilute nitride based p-i-n junction with ∼ 0.9 eV band gap. A sample of this dilute nitride junction with a 650 nm absorber layer was grown by molecular beam epitaxy and was shown to have short-circuit current density of 15.1 mA/cm2, sufficient for use in the 4-junction structure, while transmitting sufficient light through to the bottom (germanium) junction. Open-circuit voltage was up to 0.186 V at 1-sun, increasing to 0.436 V under 1500 suns concentration. The device simulation methodology was extended to include effects of luminescent coupling and photon recycling. These effects are included by adding a term to the electron and hole continuity equations, and the resulting coupled system of equations is solved. No external iterative loop is required, as has been the case in other efforts to model these effects. A five-junction photonic power converter (PPC) is simulated and it is shown that the quantum efficiency of the device is significantly broadened through luminescent coupling. There is a 350 mV reduction in simulated open-circuit voltage (70 mV per junction) if luminescent coupling is neglected. This work was later extended to a 12-junction PPC device, where the simulation predicts a wavelength sensitivity of -1.1%/nm in the absence of luminescent coupling; this is reduced to -0.4%/nm when luminescent coupling is included in the calculation. The latter result, and the overall shape of the simulated quantum efficiency curve agree closely with experimental measurements. Finally, two specific applications of PPCs are demonstrated. The first is in a step-up DC-to-DC converter, where a linear regulator combined with a laser/PPC pair can convert a 3.3 V input (commonly available from a single lithium polymer battery cell) into 12 V. Unlike conventional switching boost converters, this ‘photonic boost converter’ is not a source of ripple. In testing, a >80 dB reduction in ripple was measured compared with an equivalent switching boost converter, limited only by input noise of the instrument.The second application is in a 60 kW, 650 V switching circuit such as might be found in a hybrid or electric vehicle drivetrain. These circuits need several isolated power supplies to power gate drivers for the IGBT or SiC MOSFET switching components. This isolation is commonly provided by a small transformer, which inherently has a parasitic capacitance between primary and secondary windings and creates a path for EMI currents to flow from the high-power components to the power supply and control circuitry. By using a laser/PPC pair to provide the needed isolation, this parasitic capacitance can be largely eliminated; a 20 dB reduction in EMI current reaching the control FPGA is demonstrated.

With power conversion efficiency surpassing the 10% milestone for commercialization, photovoltaic technology based on solution-processable polymer solar cells (PSCs) provides a promising route towards a cost-efficient strategy to address the ever-increasing worldwide energy demands. However, to make PSCs successful, challenges such as insufficient light absorption, high maintenance costs, and relatively high production costs must be addressed. As solutions to some of these problems, the unique properties of nanostructured materials and complimentary light absorption in multi-junction device structure could prove to be highly beneficial. As a starting point, integrating nanostructure-based transparent self-cleaning surfaces in PSCs was investigated first. By controlling the length of the hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods and covering their surface with a thin layer of chemical vapor-deposited SiO2, a highly transparent and UV-resistant superhydrophobic surface was constructed. Integrating the transparent superhydrophobic surface in a PSC shows minimal impact on the figure of merit of the PSC. To address the low mechanical durability of the transparent superhydrophobic surface based on SiO2-coated ZnO nanorods, a novel method inspired by the water condensation process was developed. This method involved directly growing hollow silica half-nanospheres on the substrate through the condensation of water in the presence of a silica precursor. Benefit from the decreased back scattering efficiency and increased light transport mean free path arise from the hollow nature, a transparent superhydrophobic surface was realized using submicrometer sized silica half-nanospheres. The decent mechanical property of silica and the “direct-grown” protocol are expected to impart improved mechanical durability to the transparent superhydrophobic surface. Regarding the application of multi-junction device structure in PSCs, homo multi-junction PSCs were constructed from an identical polymer absorber, in which the homo-tandem device showed an enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) (8.3% vs 7.7%) relative to the optimized single junction PSC. The high open voltage (>1.8 V) achieved in homo-tandem PSCs allowed for water splitting with an estimated solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency of 6%. Lastly, a hybrid tandem cell was also constructed using a polymer and a colloidal quantum dot subcell. Different hybrid tandem device architectures were proposed and show a promising PCE of 6.7%.