Impurity photovoltaic effect in silicon solar cells doped with two impurities

In this work, a numerical study has been carried out to investigate the impurity photovoltaic (IPV) effect for silicon solar cells doped with two impurities (indium and thallium). It is found that the conversion efficiency \(\eta \) of the IPV solar cell doped with two impurities can improve by 2.21 % absolute, which is greater than that of the IPV solar cell doped with indium ( \(\Delta \eta =1.63\,\%\) ), but less than that of the one doped with thallium ( \(\Delta \eta =2.69\,\%\) ). It is concluded that introducing two IPV impurities may not be a good selection for implementing the IPV effect since one impurity with poorer IPV effect can absorb some sub-bandgap photons while contributing fewer currents. The location of impurity energy level is critical to the IPV cell performance. For an acceptor-type IPV impurity, the optimized location of the IPV impurity energy level locates at 0.20–0.26 eV above the valence band edge. Our results may help to make better use of the IPV effect for improving solar cell efficiency.     

On the De Donder-Meixner transformations in non-equilibrium thermodynamics

A characterization of the more general De Donder-Meixner transformations in irreversible thermodynamics was performed, and some new properties of these transformations were obtained.     

The thermodynamics of non-barrier layer photovoltaic phenomena

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The thermodynamics of non-barrier layer photovoltaic phenomena

     

The lateral photovoltaic effect in CdS-Cu2S heterojunction solar cell

The lateral photovoltaic effect has been observed in CdS-Cu₂S thin-film solar cells. The effect is more pronounced on the CdS side than on the Cu₂S side of the cells. On the CdS side, where the contacts were formed by soldering Cu wire by indium and then applying Ag paint, the photovoltage developed were found to increase as the point of illumination was moved towards the contact. The spectral response of photovoltage for coevaporated cells shows a peak at=0.5m (2.45 eV). But for topotaxial cells two peaks, one at=0.5m and the other at=0.65m (1.89eV) were observed. A band model has been proposed for the heat-treated optimized cells.     

非平衡热力学中传热过程熵产表达式的修正

熵产是非平衡热力学中的核心物理量,传统上表示为广义力(驱动力)与广义流的乘积.这种表达存在两方面缺陷:一是广义力与广义流的拆分具有任意性;更重要的是,以其计算热波传递时熵产可以为负值,从而违反热力学第二定律.本文基于热质理论分析表明,传热过程的熵产实质上是由热质流体的热质能耗散引起的,所以熵产中的力不是驱动力而是阻力,并且具有力的量纲.由此提出的熵产修正表达式,不仅在计算热波传递过程中熵产恒为正值,与扩展不可逆热力学中的熵产表达式一致,而且不存在力和流拆分的任意性.     

An analysis of quantum coherent solar photovoltaic cells

A new hypothesis (Scully et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108 (2011) 15097) suggests that it is possible to break the statistical physics-based detailed balance-limiting power conversion efficiency and increase the power output of a solar photovoltaic cell by using “noise-induced quantum coherence” to increase the current. The fundamental errors of this hypothesis are explained here. As part of this analysis, we show that the maximum photogenerated current density for a practical solar cell is a function of the incident spectrum, sunlight concentration factor, and solar cell energy bandgap and thus the presence of quantum coherence is irrelevant as it is unable to lead to increased current output from a solar cell.     

A phenomenological non-equilibrium theory for the thermodynamics of Kelvin bodies

From a generalized Gibbs equation and a general form for entropy flux, we develop a non-linear theory for the thermodynamics of several rheological bodies, known as Kelvin bodies. In accordance with irreversible extended thermodynamics, we deduce a non-stationary transport equation which contains new cross effect terms; in so doing, we obtain a complete hyperbolic system which describes the evolution of the above bodies.     

Structures and photovoltaic properties of copper oxides/fullerene solar cells

Copper oxide (CuO_x) thin films were produced by spin-coating and electrodeposition methods, and their microstructures and photovoltaic properties were investigated. Thin film solar cells based on the Cu₂O/C₆₀ and CuO/C₆₀ heterojunction or bulk heterojunction structures were fabricated on F-doped or In-doped SnO₂, which showed photovoltaic activity under air mass 1.5 simulated sunlight conditions. Microstructures of the CuO_x thin films were examined by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, which indicated the presence of Cu₂O and CuO nanoparticles. The energy levels of the present solar cells were also discussed.     

Preparation of n-ZnO/p-Si solar cells by oxidation of zinc nanoparticles: effect of oxidation temperature on the photovoltaic properties

In this study, n-ZnO/p-Si solar cells were fabricated by spraying ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) film synthesised by dissolving of high purity zinc in hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂ followed by thermal oxidation in air on p-type silicon substrates. The oxidation was carried out at different temperatures (200–500) °C. The crystalline structure of the ZnO NPs films was investigated by X-ray diffraction which indicated wurtzite structure films along (100) plane. The morphology of the NPs was studied by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The result showed an average grain size of ZnO NPs in the range of (72.7–95.8) nm and the surface roughness increasing with oxidation temperature. Three peaks located at ultraviolet, violet and green emission regions were noticed in the photoluminescence spectra of ZnO NPs. From optical studies, it was shown that the direct optical band gap is found to be in the range of (3.85–3.96) eV depended on the oxidation temperature. The synthesised ZnO films have n-type conductivity, and the mobility was in the range of (7–24) cm² V^?1 s^?1. Current–voltage I–V and capacitance–voltage C–V of ZnO NPs/Si heterojunction solar cell were investigated as function of oxidation temperature. The spectral response of n-ZnO NPs/p-Si solar cell showed two peaks of response and its maximum value approaching 0.62 mA W^?1 at λ = 800 nm. Solar cell oxidized at 500 °C gave open circuit voltage V _OC of 375 mV, short circuit current density J _SC of 25 mA cm^?2, a fill factor FF of 0.72, and conversion efficiency η of 6.79 % under illumination of 100 mW cm^?2.     

Effects of silicon nanowires length on solar cells photovoltaic properties

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were produced by an electroless method on FZ-Si (100) wafer, in HF/AgNO₃ solution. The influence of etching time and temperature on SiNWs morphology were studied using FESEM images. Optical properties were also investigated by optical absorption spectroscopy and low-temperature photoluminescence at 4.2?K. Considering their role as active regions, photovoltaic properties of SiNWs solar cells were studied for their different lengths. Photovoltaic measurements were taken in 1 sun condition under AM 1.5 illumination supplied by a solar simulator. Measurements indicated a reduction in efficiency as SiNWs length increased, which might be attributed to increased dangling states on nanowires surfaces.     

Impurity photovoltaic effect in silicon solar cell doped with sulphur: A numerical simulation

The impurity photovoltaic effect (IPV) has mostly been studied in various semiconductors such as silicon, silicon carbide and GaAs in order to increase infrared absorption and hence cell efficiency. In this work, sulphur is used as the IPV effect impurity incorporated in silicon solar cells. For our simulation we use the numerical device simulator (SCAPS). We calculate the solar cell performances (short circuit current density J_sc, open circuit voltage V_oc, conversion efficiency η and quantum efficiency QE). We study the influence of light trapping and certain impurity parameters like impurity concentration and position in the gap on the solar cell performances. Simulation results for IPV effect on silicon doped with sulphur show an improvement of the short circuit current and the efficiency for sulphur energy levels located far from the middle of the band gap especially at E_c-E_t=0.18 eV.     

Enhancing the performance of thin film CdS/PbS photovoltaic solar cells

This work investigates dependence of the short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage, fill factor and efficiency of a thin film CdS/PbS solar cell on thickness of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer, thickness of window layer (CdS), concentration of uncompensated acceptors (width of space-charge region), carrier lifetime in PbS and the reflectivity from metallic back contact. The effect of optical losses, front and rear recombination losses as well as the recombination losses on space-charge region are also considered in this study. As a result, by thinning the front contact layer indium tin oxide from 400 to 100 nm and window layer (CdS) from 200 to 100 nm it is possible to reduce the optical losses from 32 to 20%. The effect of electron lifetime on the internal and external quantum efficiency can be neglected at high width of the space-charge region. The maximum current density of 18.4 mA/cm² is achieved at wide space-charge region (concentration of uncompensated acceptors = 10¹⁵ cm^?3) and the longest lifetime (τ_n = 10^?6 s) where the optical and recombination losses are about 55%. The maximum efficiency of 5.17%, maximum open-circuit voltage of 417 mV and approximately fixed fill factor of 74% are yielded at optimum conditions such as: electron lifetime = 10^?6 s; concentration of uncompensated acceptors = 10¹⁶ cm^?3; thickness of TCO = 100 nm; thickness of CdS = 100 nm; velocity of surface and rear recombination = 10⁷ cm/s and thickness of absorber layer = 3 μm. When the reflectance from the back contact is 100%, the cell parameters improve and the cell efficiency records a value of 6.1% under the above conditions.     

Preparation and improvement in photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells using carbon dioxide

We report preparation and improvement in photovoltaic performance of N719-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using pressurized carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a co-solvent for the absorption process on the TiO₂ photoelectrode surface. Effective absorption of the N719 molecules on the TiO₂ surface was achieved using CO₂ processing, and the absorption time was shortened drastically from 24 h (in the dip process) to less than 3 h. The cells prepared under pressurized CO₂ for the absorption showed greater photovoltaic performance, especially higher short-circuit current density and conversion efficiency, compared with that from typical dip method. It was revealed that the suitable CO₂ pressure for the absorption was 5 MPa and the efficiency was achieved to be more than 7.5 %. Prevention of back electron transfer reactions from TiO₂ to oxidized dyes or iodides was caused currently, because the homogeneous coverage of N719 molecules on the TiO₂ surface was obtained by the use of pressurized CO₂.     

Nanosilver surface plasmon response enhanced the photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells

Nanosilver island thin films with different thickness were synthesized by vacuum vapor deposition between ITO and PEDOT:PSS for organic solar cells, forming the structure of ITO/AgNPs layer/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM/LiF/Al. Surface morphology and UV–vis absorption spectrum were investigated by AFM and UV–vis scanning spectrophotometer. It was found that after adding the nanosilver film, the optical properties of the device were enhanced with increasing the thickness of nanosilver island films. When the thickness of nanosilver thin films is 3.0 nm, the most significant surface plasmon response and red-shift of the resonance absorption peak appeared. Meanwhile, short circuit current density of the device increased from 9.93 mA/cm² to 12.98 mA/cm², the fill factor increased from 49.35% to 52.79% and the power conversion efficiency increased from 3.05% to 4.01%. These results provided a theoretical guidance to optimize the design and increase the performance of solar cells.     

Surface modification of CIGS film by annealing and its effect on the band structure and photovoltaic properties of CIGS solar cells

The composition of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) films employed in CIGS solar cells is Cu deficient. There can be point defects, including Cu vacancies, Se vacancies, and metal anti-site defects. The surface composition and defects are not well controlled right after CIGS film fabrication with a three-stage co-evaporation process. This fabrication technique can result in a large variation in cell efficiency. In order to control the CIGS film in a reproducible way, we annealed the CIGS film in air, S, or Se. With this annealing procedure, the Cu content of the CIGS surface was significantly reduced and Ga content was strongly increased. An intrinsic CIGS layer with a lower valence-band maximum and a wider ban gap was formed at the surface. By annealing the CIGS film, the open-circuit voltage and fill factor were significantly improved, which indicates that the surface intrinsic layer acts as a hole-blocking layer so that the surface recombination rate is suppressed. In addition to CIGS film annealing, with subsequent annealing of the completed devices using rapid thermal annealing, the efficiency and reproducibility of CIGS solar cells were markedly improved.     

大面积染料敏化太阳电池的串联阻抗特性研究

在电子扩散微分方程的基础上,研究了染料敏化太阳电池光生电流和光生电压随光照强度不同的变化关系.提出敏化太阳电池串联阻抗功率损耗模型,理论模拟了大面积电池（有效面积>1 cm²）光电转换效率随多孔薄膜有效面积宽度变化的曲线、透明导电基底膜与银栅极的比接触电阻以及在不同入射光强下银栅极体电阻对大面积染料敏化太阳电池光伏性能的影响.结果表明透明导电基底膜的方块电阻和银栅极体电阻对大面积染料敏化太阳电池的性能有很大影响,而这种影响随光强的减弱逐渐减小. 关键词： 染料敏化 太阳电池 串联阻抗 光电转换效率     

Experimental analysis and modeling of the IV characteristics of photovoltaic solar cells under solar spectrum spot illumination

In this paper, some models that have been put forward to explain the characteristics of a photovoltaic solar cell device under solar spot-illumination are investigated. In the experimental procedure, small areas of the cell were selected and illuminated at different solar intensities. The solar cell open circuit voltage (V_oc) and short circuit current (I_sc) obtained at different illumination intensities was used to determine the solar cell ideality factor. By varying the illuminated area on the solar cell, changes in the ideality factor were studied. The ideality factor obtained increases with decreasing illumination surface ratio. The photo-generated current at the illuminated part of the cell is assumed to act as a dc source that injects charge carriers into the p-n junction of the whole solar cell while the dark region of the solar cell operates in a low space charge recombination regime with small diffusion currents. From this analysis, a different model of a spot illuminated cell that uses the variation of ideality factor with the illuminated area is proposed.