PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS COMPRISING TWO PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS AND TWO PHOTON SOURCES

摘要

A photovoltaic system includes a photovoltaic device that includes a lower photovoltaic cell fabricated from semiconductor material having a first bandgap, and having first electrical contacts for extraction of current from the lower cell; an electrically insulating layer monolithically fabricated on the lower photovoltaic cell; and an upper photovoltaic cell monolithically fabricated on the electrically insulating layer from semiconductor material having a second bandgap larger than the first bandgap, and having second electrical contacts for extraction of current from the upper cell. The photovoltaic system also includes one or more first photon sources operable to supply photons to the photovoltaic device, the photons having wavelengths in a first wavelength range associated primarily with the first bandgap. The photovoltaic system further includes one or more second photon sources operable to supply photons to the photovoltaic device, the photons having wavelengths in a second wavelength range primarily associated with the second bandgap.