Theory of Graded-Bandgap Thin-Film Solar Cells

142 Pages·2021·15.613 MB·English

by  Faiz Ahmad, Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Peter B. Monk

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Synthesis Lectures on Electromagnetics A
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Series Editor: Akhlesh Lakhtakia, The Pennsylvania State University
Theory of
Theory of Graded-Bandgap Thin-Film Solar Cells
Faiz Ahmad, COMSATS University Islamabad
Akhlesh Lakhtakia, The Pennsylvania State University T
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Peter B. Monk, University of Delaware E Graded-Bandgap
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Thin-film solar cells are cheap and easy to manufacture but require improvements as their O
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efficiencies are low compared to that of the commercially dominant crystalline-silicon solar cells. G
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An optoelectronic model is formulated and implemented along with the differential evolution A
D Thin-Film
algorithm to assess the efficacy of grading the bandgap of the CIGS, CZTSSe, and AlGaAs photon- E
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absorbing layer for optimizing the power-conversion efficiency of thin-film CIGS, CZTSSe, and -B
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AlGaAs solar cells, respectively, in the two-terminal single-junction format. Each thin-film solar N
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cell is modeled as a photonic device as well as an electronic device. Solar cells with two (or more) G
A Solar Cells
photon-absorbing layers can also be handled using the optolelectronic model, whose results will P
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stimulate experimental techniques for bandgap grading to enable ubiquitous small-scale harnessing H
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of solar energy. N
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C Faiz Ahmad
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S Akhlesh Lakhtakia
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Theory of Graded-Bandgap
Thin-Film Solar Cells

Synthesis Lectures on
Electromagnetics
Editor
AkhleshLakhtakia,ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity
TheoryofGraded-BandgapThin-FilmSolarCells
FaizAhmad,AkhleshLakhtakia,andPeterB.Monk
2021
SpoofPlasmons
TatjanaGric
2020
TheTransfer-MatrixMethodinElectromagneticsandOptics
TomG.MackayandAkhleshLakhtakia
2020
Copyright©2021byMorgan&Claypool
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedin
anyformorbyanymeans—electronic,mechanical,photocopy,recording,oranyotherexceptforbriefquotations
inprintedreviews,withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher.
TheoryofGraded-BandgapThin-FilmSolarCells
FaizAhmad,AkhleshLakhtakia,andPeterB.Monk
www.morganclaypool.com
ISBN:9781636392165 paperback
ISBN:9781636392172 ebook
ISBN:9781636392189 hardcover
DOI10.2200/S01119ED1V01Y202107EMA003
APublicationintheMorgan&ClaypoolPublishersseries
SYNTHESISLECTURESONELECTROMAGNETICS
Lecture3
SeriesEditor:AkhleshLakhtakia,ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity
SeriesISSN
ISSNpending.
Theory of Graded-Bandgap
Thin-Film Solar Cells
Faiz Ahmad
COMSATSUniversityIslamabad
Akhlesh Lakhtakia
ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity
Peter B. Monk
UniversityofDelaware
SYNTHESISLECTURESONELECTROMAGNETICS3
M
&C Morgan &cLaypool publishers
ABSTRACT
Thin-filmsolarcellsarecheapandeasytomanufacturebutrequireimprovementsastheireffi-
cienciesarelowcomparedtothatofthecommerciallydominantcrystalline-siliconsolarcells.An
optoelectronicmodelisformulatedandimplementedalongwiththedifferentialevolutionalgo-
rithmtoassesstheefficacyofgradingthebandgapoftheCIGS,CZTSSe,andAlGaAsphoton-
absorbing layer for optimizing the power-conversion efficiency of thin-film CIGS, CZTSSe,
and AlGaAs solar cells, respectively, in the two-terminal single-junction format. Each thin-
film solar cell is modeled as a photonic device as well as an electronic device. Solar cells with
two (or more) photon-absorbing layers can also be handled using the optolelectronic model,
whoseresultswillstimulateexperimentaltechniquesforbandgapgradingtoenableubiquitous
small-scaleharnessingofsolarenergy.
KEYWORDS
AlGaAs, bandgap grading, CIGS, CZTSSe, differential evolution algorithm,
double-absorbersolarcell,optoelectronicoptimization,thin-filmsolarcell
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