Degradation of GaN-based InGaN-GaN MQWs solar cells caused by thermally-activated diffusion

Marco Nicoletto; Alessandro Caria; Carlo De Santi; Matteo Buffolo; Xuanqui Huang; Houqiang Fu; Hong Chen; Yuji Zhao; Gaudenzio Meneghesso; Enrico Zanoni; Matteo Meneghini

doi:10.1117/12.2653110

15 March 2023 Degradation of GaN-based InGaN-GaN MQWs solar cells caused by thermally-activated diffusion

Marco Nicoletto, Alessandro Caria, Carlo De Santi, Matteo Buffolo, Xuanqui Huang, Houqiang Fu, Hong Chen, Yuji Zhao, Gaudenzio Meneghesso, Enrico Zanoni, Matteo Meneghini

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12421, Gallium Nitride Materials and Devices XVIII; 1242106 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2653110
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2023, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We investigate the degradation of high-periodicity GaN-based InGaN-GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) solar cells submitted to stress under high excitation intensity and high temperature; stress conditions are chosen to investigate cell behavior in a harsh scenario, such as wireless power transfer systems, space applications and concentrator harvesting systems. By examining the decrease in the short-circuit current and electroluminescence of these devices and the increase in the forward current at low bias, we suggest the presence of a thermally-activated diffusion process of impurities from the p-side of the device toward the active region. This process favors the increase in the Shockley-Read- Hall (SRH) recombination rate. By employing the van Opdorp and t’Hooft model, we analyzed the time-variation of non-radiative Shockley-Read-Hall lifetime during aging, extracting the diffusion coefficient of the defect involved in the degradation; we also extracted the related activation energy by an appropriate fitting of the degradation kinetics according to Fick’s second law of diffusion. The obtained values suggest that degradation originates from the diffusion of hydrogen, whose severity depends also on the thickness of the p-GaN layer of these devices. The proposed analysis methods and the obtained results are useful for understanding the physics of multiple quantum wells (MQWs) solar cells during degradation. The results can be used to increase the performance and reliability in novel applications where these devices are proposed, such us additional layer in multi-junction (MJ) solar cells, and the application in harsh environments.

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Marco Nicoletto, Alessandro Caria, Carlo De Santi, Matteo Buffolo, Xuanqui Huang, Houqiang Fu, Hong Chen, Yuji Zhao, Gaudenzio Meneghesso, Enrico Zanoni, and Matteo Meneghini "Degradation of GaN-based InGaN-GaN MQWs solar cells caused by thermally-activated diffusion", Proc. SPIE 12421, Gallium Nitride Materials and Devices XVIII, 1242106 (15 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2653110

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