Damage Characteristics Analysis of Laser Ablation Triple-Junction Solar Cells Based on Electroluminescence Characteristics

Abstract

To study the physical property effects of the laser on GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cells and their sub-cell layers, a pulsed laser with a wavelength of 532 nm was used to irradiate the solar cells under various energy conditions. The working performance of the cell was measured with a source meter. The electroluminescence (EL) characteristics were assessed using an ordinary and an infrared camera. Based on the detailed balance theory, in the voltage characteristics of an ideal pristine cell, the GaInP layer made the most significant voltage contribution, followed by the GaAs layer, with the Ge layer contributing the least. When a bias voltage was applied to the pristine cell, the top GaInP cell emitted red light at 670 nm, the middle GaAs cell emitted near-infrared light at 926 nm, and the bottom Ge cell emitted infrared light at 1852 nm. In the experiment, the 532 nm laser wavelength within the response spectrum bands of the GaInP layer and the laser passed through the glass cover slip and directly interacted with the GaInP layer. The experimental results indicated that the GaInP layer first exhibited different degrees of damage under laser irradiation, and the cell voltage was substantially attenuated. The GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cell showed a decrease in electrical and light emission characteristics. As the laser energy increased, the cell’s damage intensified, gradually leading to a loss of photoelectric conversion capability, the near-complete disappearance of red light emission, and a gradual degradation of near-infrared emission properties. The EL imaging revealed varying damage states across the triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cell’s sub-cells.