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Development of Advanced Anti-Reflection Coatings for High Performance Solar Energy Applications

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX14CC06C
Agency Tracking Number: 124333
Amount: $872,144.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: S3.02
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2012
Award Year: 2014
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2014-04-24
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2017-06-23
Small Business Information
6457 Howard Street
Niles, IL 60714-3301
United States
DUNS: 135553472
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Victor Elarde
 Principal Investigator
 (847) 588-3001
 velarde@mldevices.com
Business Contact
 David McCallum
Title: Business Official
Phone: (847) 588-3001
Email: dmccallum@mldevices.com
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

MicroLink Devices will increase the efficiency of multi-junction solar cells by designing and demonstrating advanced anti-reflection coatings (ARCs) that will provide a better broadband spectral response than that of conventional anti-reflection coatings. Advanced coatings of this nature are needed to realize the full performance of the forthcoming generation of multi-junction solar cells, which will contain four or more junctions. Two approaches to improving the performance of the antireflection coatings will be investigated:

* develop multilayer dielectric antireflection coatings incorporating LaTiO3 to achieve significantly improved optical coupling between the coverglass and cell at the ultraviolet and infrared ends of the spectral range of interest; and
* develop a structure and corresponding fabrication process to oxidize the Al-containing window layer in order to reduce the absorption of light at the short-end of the spectral range of interest, thus providing extra useable photons to the cell.

These two technologies will be integrated into a hybrid design which will provide the best possible coupling of light from cover glass to cell in order to achieve the highest possible efficiency in next-generation devices containing four or more junctions. It is expected that the new coatings will enable a relative efficiency increase of at least 7%, corresponding to a 2.5% absolute efficiency increase. The reliability and radiation tolerance of these materials and the solar cells incorporating the new designs will be tested.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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