A novel solar simulator based on a super-continuum laser

Published

June 3, 2012

Author(s)

Tasshi Dennis, John B. Schlager, Hao-Chih Yuan, Qi Wang, Daniel Friedman

Abstract

The design and operation of a novel solar simulator based on a high-power, super-continuum fiber laser is described in this work. The simulator features a multi-sun irradiance with continuous spectral coverage from the visible to the infrared. By use of a prism-based spectral shaper, the simulator can be matched to any desired spectral profile, including the ASTM G-173-03 air-mass 1.5 direct or other global reference spectra. The simulator has been effectively used to measure the efficiency of gallium-arsenide (GaAs) and crystalline silicon (Si) solar cells, showing good agreement with independent measurements. The pulsed temporal characteristic of the simulator was studied and shown to have a negligible influence on measurements of cell efficiency for both GaAs and Si materials. The ability to arbitrarily shape the spectrum of the simulator may find application in multi-junction testing, and the potential for diffraction-limited focusing could enable localized excitation of advanced photovoltaic materials.

Proceedings Title

38th Annual IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference

Conference Dates

June 3-8, 2012

Conference Location

Austin, TX

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2012.6317953

Keywords

Solar Cells, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Super-Continuum Laser, Solar Simulator, Spectra Shaping

Citation

Dennis, T. , Schlager, J. , Yuan, H. , Wang, Q. and Friedman, D. (2012), A novel solar simulator based on a super-continuum laser, 38th Annual IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference, Austin, TX, [online], https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2012.6317953 (Accessed October 8, 2025)