Band gap dependent thermophotovoltaic device performance using the InGaAs and InGaAsP material system

Thermophotovoltaic cells with a range of band gaps are modeled under a variety of illumination conditions, including a range of source temperatures and a variable degree of spectral control. Thus, the balance between the requirements of high power densities and high efficiencies can be investigated. The influence of elevated cell temperatures, cell cooling, Auger recombination, and series resistances have been included, and all weight the optimum band gap thermophotovoltaic cell toward higher band gaps than the similar to 0.5-0.6 eV conventional optimum. The cells have been modeled using fundamental physical parameters from the InGaAs and InGaAsP material system which accurately reproduce reported device performance and allow a comparison to theoretical limits. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3488903]