Temperature stability of contact systems for GaSb-based photovoltaic converters

The thermally induced degradation (temperature $T\approx$ 200$^\circ$C) of Cr–Au, Cr–Au–Ag–Au, Ti–Pt–Au, and Ti–Pt–Ag contact systems deposited onto the surface of $p$-GaSb by magnetron sputtering and resistive evaporation are studied. It is found that photovoltaic (PV) converters with a contact grid based on Ti–Pt–Ag are characterized by the maximum thermal stability. PV cells with gold-containing contacts based on Cr–Au and Ti–Pt–Au exhibit a high rate of degradation with increasing temperature, which may require a more effective heat removal system for their operation.