Numerical simulation of graded band gap GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction solar cell by AMPS-1D

The conduction band discontinuity or spike in an abrupt heterojunction p+ GaAs / NAl0.4 Ga0.6As solar cell can hinder the separation of hole-electron by electric field. This paper analyzes the GaAs /AlxGa1-xAs/Al0.4Ga0.6As based solar cell performance by AMPS-1D numerical modeling. The affect of graded band gap region in the interface between the emitter (GaAs) and base (Al0.4Ga0.6As) on the solar cell’s performance is investigated. Among the factors studied are thickness of graded band gap region, thickness of emitter layer of the cells. In this study, a width 0.14µm has been required to eliminate the spike and improved the performance of solar cell. Keywords: heterojunction solar cell; graded band gap; AMPS-1D