Modeling and Simulation of Temperature Effects on InGaP/InGaAs/Ge Triple-Junction Solar Cells with PyAMS

Abstract

Multi-junction solar cells, particularly those based on III–V semiconductor materials; achieve high conversion efficiencies by employing multiple P–N junctions with different band gap energies to absorb distinct portions of the solar spectrum. Among them, the InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction photovoltaic cell stands out as a benchmark for efficiency. However, temperature variations strongly influence the electrical and thermal behavior of these subcells, often leading to performance degradation.

In this work, we employ PyAMS to model and simulate the thermal response of InGaP/InGaAs/Ge solar subcells under varying temperature conditions. The developed model is validated against experimental data, ensuring accurate representation of the current–voltage (I–V) and power–voltage (P–V) characteristics. Key performance indicators—including short-circuit current density (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF), and overall efficiency (η) are analyzed as functions of temperature.

Our results demonstrate that while Jsc remains almost unaffected by temperature, Voc decreases significantly beyond 60°C under concentrated illumination (10 Suns). This drop in Voc strongly impacts both FF and η, highlighting the critical role of thermal management. The findings of this study provide useful guidelines for the design of cooling strategies in triple-junction solar cells, thereby improving their long-term performance, reliability, and integration into high-efficiency photovoltaic systems.