Monolithic Interconnected Modules (MIM) for High Irradiance Photovoltaic Energy Conversion: a Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Monolithic Interconnected Modules (MIM) are densely packed arrays of series interconnected photovoltaic (PV) cells that are manufactured on the same semiconductor substrate. This review presents the result of a prospective study whose objective is to provide an overview of the historical development and current state of the art of the MIM technology. The most outstanding works from the conception of the first MIM devices in the late 70s to the most recent ideas to date, including all relevant milestones achieved during these four decades, are reported. This review focuses on MIM devices that are designed for high-irradiance photovoltaic (HIPV) applications, such as concentrator PV (CPV), thermophotovoltaics (TPV), and laser power conversion (LPC), in which the highly dense series interconnection is particularly relevant in order to boost the output voltage without scarifying the receptor photoactive area.