Third generation solar cells

摘要

The photovoltaic (PV) industry is approaching the '3rd Generation' materials and devices. Compound semiconductors represent the bulk of these. A '4th Generation' that is waiting in the wings could be said to be the polymeric materials that have also begun to make an initial impact in light emitters, but this article concentrates on developments in the arsenides, phosphides and nitrides. High performance PVs are in the news again with the Mars expeditions' Beagle 2, the probe for ESA's Mars Express mission, [see picture]. For a handful of specialist companies and a lot of R&D, space PVs are very interesting and virtually all rely on Ⅲ-Vs.