Observation of Ge bottom cells in InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells

After growing InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells, we prepared two different Ge cells by etching down to the GaAs buffer layer (sample A) and the AlGaAs layer (sample B). Then, the photovoltaic properties of these two Ge cells were investigated under various light concentrations in order to find the factors affecting the overall performance of the triple-junction solar cells. Under concentrated light, the open-circuit voltage (V_OC), fill factor and conversion efficiency were higher for sample A than for sample B. The external quantum efficiency was shown to have a slightly higher value for sample A. Both the tunnel junction layer and the top contact resistance increased the series resistance, which also provided defects acting as leakage path. A comparison to previous works suggests that the conversion efficiency of Ge bottom, if present, is degraded marginally after the growth of the full structure of triple-junction solar cells.