Konica Minolta Sensing Announces World’s First Dedicated Triple Junction Solar Reference Cell

Developed in conjunction with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, the AK-120/130/140 is the world first triple junction (top/middle/bottom) reference cell. The reference cell has been uniquely designed using an optical filter mounted on a stable crystalline silicon solar cell.



AK-120/130/140 Main Features:



1. Spectral Mismatch Error Less than 1%



By employing Konica Minolta Sensing’s high-accuracy optical filter technology originally cultivated for color measuring instruments, spectral mismatch is greatly reduced. Spectral mismatch, which had been a major problem with conventional cells, can be suppressed to 1% or less even when evaluating solar cell performance using JIS C-8942 Class C solar simulators.



2. Ready for Immediate Use



The AK-120/130/140 is a completely integrated cell with connectors for I-V measurement as well as temperature measurement. The built-in temperature sensorcan be connected to a commercially available temperature controlled stage to easily achieve and maintain the standard test condition of 25°C. Also included are theshort-circuit current (Isc) values used for solarsimulator adjustment.



3. Improved Durability Against Solar Simulator Light



In general, reference standard cells using optical filters have low durability against exposure to light, resulting in changes in characteristics due to continuous exposure to solar simulator light. AK Series Reference Cells have a high durability against exposure to light, greatly reducing solarization (changes in characteristics due to the effects of light exposure) and ensuring stability even when used over a long period of time.



4. Zero Errors Caused By Multiple Reflections



Errors in short-circuit current(Isc) due to multiple reflection is greatly reduced. Improvements in the optical structure suppress multiple reflections and reduce the 1.3% error of conventional products to 0.0%.



Demand for green energy production and new higher efficiency materials continue to grow. As a global leader in measurement technology and instrumentation, Konica Minolta Sensing is further expanding its reach into this quickly growing market by using its expertise to quantify the results of these new materials and technologies.