Feb 1 2007
Veeco Instruments Inc. announced today that its Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) technology enabled an important recent advancement in solar cell efficiency. On December 5, 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Spectrolab, Inc. has achieved a world record concentrator solar cell conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent. This solar cell conversion efficiency was achieved using a Veeco TurboDisc(R) As/P MOCVD System, which deposits epitaxial films. Spectrolab, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company.
The 40.7 percent efficient cell was developed using a multi-junction solar cell structure. This type of cell achieves a higher efficiency than single junction cells by capturing more of the solar spectrum and utilizing it more efficiently. The solar cells are manufactured in a single epitaxial growth process, which requires excellent control and repeatability from the MOCVD system.
"Veeco congratulates Spectrolab on its record efficiency. We look forward to teaming with Spectrolab for continued solar cell efficiency improvements," commented Piero Sferlazzo, Vice President, General Manager of Veeco's MOCVD Operations.
According to the DOE, attaining a 40 percent efficient concentrating solar cell means having another technology pathway for producing cost-effective solar electricity. This breakthrough may lead to solar systems with an installation cost of only $3 per watt, or less, producing electricity at a cost of 8-10 cents per kilowatt/hour, making solar electricity a more cost-competitive and integral part of our nation's energy mix. Almost all of today's solar cell modules do not concentrate sunlight but use only what the sun produces naturally, what researchers call "one sun insolation," which achieves an efficiency of 12 to 18 percent. However, by using an optical concentrator, sunlight intensity can be increased, producing more electricity from a single solar cell.
Engineered for the high-volume production of compound semiconductor materials, Veeco's TurboDisc As/P tools are quickly being adopted by the industry as the "tool of choice" for high volume production of devices such as solar cells, red, orange and yellow HB-LEDs, laser diodes, pHEMTs and HBTs. The system offers a level of process control and reliability unmatched by competing MOCVD technologies. With integrated RealTemp(R) 200 technology for direct wafer temperature control and fast gas switching for strict control of interface abruptness, these technically advanced systems provide superior material quality and process efficiency.