NREL Scientists Spurred the Success of Multijunction Solar Cells (Fact Sheet)

Before 1984, many scientists believed that high-quality gallium indium phosphide (GaInP) alloys could not be grown for use as semiconductors because the alloys would separate. One researcher at the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) thought differently. His name was Jerry Olson, and his innovative thinking changed solar history. Olson identified a material combination that allowed themultijunction cell to flourish. It is now the workhorse that powers satellites and the catalyst for renewed interest in concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) products.