25 January 2012

Magnolia presents limits of InGaAs quantum well solar cell performance at Photonic West

Magnolia Solar Corp Woburn, MA and Albany, NY, USA says that on 23 January Dr Roger E. Welser, chief technology officer of its subsidiary Magnolia Solar Inc, presented the invited paper ‘Exploring the Radiative Limits of Dark Current Operation in InGaAs Quantum Well Solar Cells‘as part of a special session on ‘Quantum Well and Superlattice Solar Cells‘ at a conference on the Physics, Simulations and Photonic Engineering for Photovoltaic Devices during the SPIE Photonic West 2012 event in San Francisco.

Founded in 2008 to develop and commercialize new thin film solar cell technologies that employ nanostructured materials and designs, Magnolia’s solar cells combine exclusive material structures with advanced optical coatings. The patent-pending technology has the ability to capture a larger part of the solar spectrum to produce high-efficiency solar cells, and incorporates a unique nanostructure-based anti-reflection coating technology to further increase the solar cell's efficiency, reducing the cost per watt. Last August Magnolia demonstrated high-voltage indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) quantum well waveguide solar cells.

"Magnolia Solar has developed a novel device structure that suppresses undesirable recombination events, enabling photovoltaic devices to reach new levels of performance," says Welser. "To better design and realize ultra-high-efficiency solar cells, we continue to explore the underlying physical mechanisms controlling the power output," he adds.

"The aim of our ongoing work summarized at the SPIE conference in San Francisco is to increase both the current and voltage output of single-junction cells by employing a quantum-structured active region and advanced light-trapping strategies," Welser continues. “With this patent-pending approach, we expect to demonstrate high solar electric conversion efficiency over a wider range of operating conditions."

"Photovoltaic devices can provide a mobile source of electrical power for a variety of commercial and defense applications in both space and terrestrial environments," comments president & CEO Dr Ashok K. Sood. “Many of these applications can directly benefit from enhancements in the efficiency of the photovoltaic devices," he adds. "In collaboration with our partners, we intend to update our shareholders as we continue the development effort for next-generation high-performance solar cells."

Tags: Magnolia Solar InGaAs solar cells

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