Highly Efficient Photovoltaic Laser Power Converters

Abstract

Photovoltaic conversion of laser radiation has found wide application in fiberoptic communication lines. Energy transfer via a laser beam is also relevant for remote power supply systems on Earth and in space. These systems can be used to power unmanned aerial vehicles, to transfer laser energy between spacecraft and from space solar panels to Earth. One of the main tasks in creating such systems is to ensure high efficiency of photovoltaic converters at high power (more than 100 W/cm2) of laser radiation. The article presents the results of research and development of photovoltaic converters of highpower laser radiation based on nanoheterostructures obtained by MOCVD epitaxy. The reduction of losses was achieved by embedding the “dielectric-silver” rear combined reflector into the structure. An increase in the generated voltage was achieved by shifting the volume charge region into the wide-gap layer of the p-GaAs-n-AlxGa1-xAs heterojunction. Thanks to an additional reduction in ohmic losses, efficiency values of 60 % have been achieved at laser radiation (λ = 860 nm) powers in the range of 50-400 W/cm2.

Keywords

• photovoltaic converter
• algaas/gaas heterostructure
• laser radiation
• bragg reflector