Alta Devices was a US-based specialty gallium arsenide (GaAs) PV manufacturer, which claimed to have achieved a solar cell conversion efficiency record of 29.1%, as certified by Germany's Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.[1][2][3]
Alta Devices was founded in 2007 by Eli Yablonovitch and Harry Atwater and manufactured solar photovoltaic applications for mobile devices that enable the conversion of light into electricity. The firm was acquired by
The firm's technology was significant for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), solar cars, and other electric vehicles.'[6] NASA has been testing its solar technology for the International Space Station. The firm had been working with Audi on 'solar roofs' for their automobiles.[7]
The firm broke efficiency records for single-junction solar cells and solar modules.[6] In 2016, Alta Devices broke the world record conversion efficiency for dual-junction solar cell using InGaP/GaAs tandem structure. The world record was certified by National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This is the second time Alta Devices broke world record efficiency. The first time was 30.8% in 2013. [8]
