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Enhanced up-conversion for photovoltaics via concentrating integrated optics

Georgios E. Arnaoutakis, Jose Marques-Hueso, Aruna Ivaturi, Karl W. Krämer, Stefan Fischer, Jan Christoph Goldschmidt, and Bryce S. Richards

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Abstract

Concentrating optics are integrated into up-conversion photovoltaic (UC-PV) devices to independently concentrate sub-band-gap photons on the up-conversion layer, without affecting the full solar concentration on the overlying solar cell. The UC-PV devices consist of silicon solar cells optimized for up-conversion, coupled with tapered and parabolic dielectric concentrators, and hexagonal sodium yttrium fluoride (β-NaYF4) up-converter doped with 25% trivalent erbium (Er3+). A normalized external quantum efficiency of 1.75x10ˉ2 cm2/W and 3.38x10ˉ2 cm2/W was obtained for the UC-PV device utilizing tapered and parabolic concentrators respectively. Although low to moderate concentration was shown to maximize UC, higher concentration lead to saturation and reduced external quantum efficiency. The presented work highlights some of the implications associated with the development of UC-PV devices and designates a substantial step for integration in concentrating PV.

© 2014 Optical Society of America

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Figures (8)
Fig. 1
Fig. 1 Transitions in Er3+ responsible for up-conversion for photovoltaics. Upward solid lines represent absorption, downward solid lines represent emission, dotted lines represent energy transfer up-conversion and non-radiative relaxation is depicted by curved lines.

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Fig. 2
Fig. 2 (a) Schematic of the UC-PV device with integrated optics behind the solar cell. For detailed characteristics the reader is referred to section 2, materials and methods. (b) One of the concentrators used in this study (parabolic) with a bifacial silicon solar cell attached. The UC phosphor is attached on the exit aperture of the parabolic concentrator.

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Fig. 3
Fig. 3 EQE of UC-PV device characterized between 1450 and 1590 nm at 0.007 W/cm2 with five different secondary concentrator elements. The EQE closely resembles the 4I15/2 to 4I13/2 excitation spectrum of Er3+ shown on the secondary axis with main resonant peaks at 1497, 1508, 1522 nm.

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Fig. 4
Fig. 4 Transmission of the concentrating elements of the UC-PV device as a function of wavelength between 900 and 1600 nm. The transmission of the bifacial solar cell is also plotted for comparison.

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Fig. 5
Fig. 5 Backwards transmission of the concentrating elements of the UC-PV device as a function of the diameter of an isotropic emission center. The transmission of the objective lens, estimated from Eq. (2), is plotted for comparison.

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Fig. 6
Fig. 6 Power dependent EQE of the PV-UC device for the strongest resonant peak at 1522 nm. The gradient of each least square fit indicates the order of the luminescence process involved on each device.

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Fig. 7
Fig. 7 EQE of the PV-UC device for the resonant peak at 1522 nm at the UC layer. The power density on the UC layer and the respective regime, achieved by each concentrator, is indicated by the gradient.

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Fig. 8
Fig. 8 Irradiance profile at the output of the parabolic and the tapered optics. Localized peak concentrations are observed for both, that are responsible for the gradient of the least square fits in Figs. 6 and 7.

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Tables (1)

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Table 1 Comparison of UC-PV Devices Based on Er3+ with Aabsolute and Normalized EQE

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Equations (3)

Equations on this page are rendered with MathJax. Learn more.

EQE= hc I sc λe P in ,
( 1 − 1 − ( N A n ) 2 ) .
EQE∝ P n P ∝ P n−1 ,
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