Publication

Variable light biasing method to measure component I–V characteristics of multi-junction solar cells

Christophe Ballif
2012
Journal Articles

Abstract

We presentanewtechniquetomeasurecomponentcurrent–voltage(I–V) curvesofindividual sub-cellsintegratedinamonolithicmulti-junctionsolarcell.Thisnewapproach,comparedtoall previouslyreportedones,iswellsuitedforthin-filmsiliconp–i–nstructureswheretheso-called shiftingapproximation,whichsupposesthatilluminationonlyshiftsthe I–V curve withoutchangingits shape, isnotvalid.Moreover,theproposedmethodisparticularlyresistanttoproblemsrelatedto electricalshunts.Theprincipleofthismethodliesincouplingthelevelofaselectivelightbiaswiththe level ofmeasuredelectricalcurrentinordertofixthevoltageofaselectedsub-cellwhilesweepingover the currentaxis.Whenoneofthesub-cellshasafixedvoltage,itisthenpossibletogetthe I–V characteristicsofthesecondone,shiftedbyafixedvoltagevalue.Thismeasurementprocedureis simple andrequiresnomodeling.Theaccuracyofthemethodisevaluatedbynumericalsimulationsof a thin-filmsiliconp–i–nphotodiode.Ourtechniqueisthensuccessfullyexperimentallytestedona speciallypreparedthree-terminalamorphous/microcrystallinesilicontandemsolarcell.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/a0078b59-060b-4da5-9734-9d0c64a0c132

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Christophe Ballif
2012
Journal Articles

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/a0078b59-060b-4da5-9734-9d0c64a0c132

About this result

Related concepts (13)

Multi-junction solar cell

Multi-junction (MJ) solar cells are solar cells with multiple p–n junctions made of different semiconductor materials. Each material's p-n junction will produce electric current in response to different wavelengths of light. The use of multiple semiconducting materials allows the absorbance of a broader range of wavelengths, improving the cell's sunlight to electrical energy conversion efficiency. Traditional single-junction cells have a maximum theoretical efficiency of 33.16%.

Solar cell

A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical phenomenon. It is a form of photoelectric cell, defined as a device whose electrical characteristics, such as current, voltage, or resistance, vary when exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules, known colloquially as solar panels.

Thin-film solar cell

Thin-film solar cells are made by depositing one or more thin layers (thin films or TFs) of photovoltaic material onto a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are typically a few nanometers (nm) to a few microns (μm) thick–much thinner than the wafers used in conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) based solar cells, which can be up to 200 μm thick. Thin-film solar cells are commercially used in several technologies, including cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and amorphous thin-film silicon (a-Si, TF-Si).

Related publications (14)

Variable light biasing method to measure component I–V characteristics of multi-junction solar cells

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