Incorporating photon recycling into the analytical drift-diffusion model of high efficiency solar cells
Abstract
The analytical drift-diffusion formalism is able to accurately simulate a wide range of solar cell architectures and was recently extended to include those with back surface reflectors. However, as solar cells approach the limits of material quality, photon recycling effects become increasingly important in predicting the behavior of these cells. In particular, the minority carrier diffusion length is significantly affected by the photon recycling, with consequences for the solar cell performance. In this paper, we outline an approach to account for photon recycling in the analytical Hovel model and compare analytical model predictions to GaAs-based experimental devices operating close to the fundamental efficiency limit.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 18, 2014
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.4902320
Entities
People
- John F. Geisz
- Matthew P. Lumb
- Myles A. Steiner
- Robert J. Walters
Organizations
- George Washington University
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Naval Research Laboratory