Abstract
Power dissipation in a p−n + Si solar cell has been monitored using the electroacoustic technique. Experimental results are described by a vector model which takes into account the different physical locations of the several heat-generating or heat-consuming processes. Analysis of experimental data based on this model allows separation of the different contributions to the power dissipated in the cell and a direct insight into the power loss mechanisms in the device.
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Abbreviations
- D th :
-
thermal diffusion coefficient of the sample
- EA:
-
electroacoustic
- E gap :
-
energy of the gap of the semiconductor
- hv :
-
energy of the incident light
- i dark :
-
cell current density in the dark
- i 0 :
-
saturation current density of the device
- l :
-
sample thickness
- n :
-
quality factor of the device
- P :
-
total power dissipated in the cell in PA experiments
- PA:
-
photoacoustic
- P dark :
-
total power dissipated in the solar cell in the dark in EA experiments
- P fs, inj, P bs, inj :
-
cooling of front and back surface of the cell by injected carriers
- P fs, photo, P bs, photo :
-
heating of front and back surface of the cell by photogenerated carriers
- P inj :
-
power dissipated in the recombination of injected carriers
- P jc :
-
power absorbed in the junction cooling process
- P light :
-
total power dissipated in the illuminated solar cell in EA experiments
- P photo :
-
power dissipated by photogenerated carriers when drifting along the potential slope
- P therm :
-
power dissipated by thermalization of photocarriers in the conduction band
- V :
-
amplitude of the modulated potential applied to the cell
- α, β:
-
phase angles between vector contributions to the total dissipated power in the cell
- ΔE c, ΔE v :
-
energy difference between the quasi-Fermi levels of the n(p) semiconductor and the bottom (top) of the conduction (valence) band
- μth=(2D th/ω)1/2 :
-
thermal diffusion length of the sample
- Φd :
-
phase of EA signal in the dark
- Φ1 :
-
phase of EA signal with light
- ω:
-
frequency of the modulated voltage applied to the cell.
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