The Effect of Non-Uniform Irradiation on Laser Photovoltaics: Experiments and Simulations

Laser wireless power transmission (LWPT) has various applications for mobile devices and specific equipment under extreme conditions. The light spot received by laser photovoltaics is usually non-uniform, resulting in system efficiency reduction. The output characteristics of 1 × 1 cm2 GaAs laser photovoltaics were measured under various illuminated areas. The experimental results showed that the efficiency decreased from 40.8% at the full irradiated area to 26.7% at 1/10 irradiated area. Furthermore, the drop in short-circuit current was the main factor for decreasing the efficiency. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model was used to investigate this factor. The simulation results indicated that non-uniform irradiation could increase the total non-radiative recombination rate. The recombination rate of the absorption region increased from 6.0 × 1020 cm−3/s to 2.5 × 1021 cm−3/s, reducing the short-circuit current.