• Title/Summary/Keyword: Solar cell efficiency

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The a-Si:H/poly-Si Heterojunction Solar Cells

  • Kim, Sang-Su;Kim, do-Young;Lim, Dong-Gun;Junsin Yi;Lee, Jae-Choon;Lim, Koeng-Su
    • Journal of Electrical Engineering and information Science
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    • v.2 no.5
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    • pp.65-71
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    • 1997
  • We present heterojunction solar cells with a structure of metal/a-Si:H(n-i-p)/poly-Si(n-p)/metal for the terrestrial applications. This cell consists fo two component cells: a top n-i-p junction a-Si:Hi cell with wide-bandgap 1.8eV and a bottom n-p junction poly-Si cell with narrow-bandgap 1.1eV. The efficiency influencing factors of the solar cell were investigated in terms of simulation an experiment. Three main topics of the investigated study were the bottom cell with n-p junction poly-Si, the top a-Si:H cell with n-i-p junction, and the interface layer effects of heterojunction cell. The efficiency of bottom cell was improved with a pretreatment temperature of 900$^{\circ}C$, surface polishing, emitter thickness of 0.43$\mu\textrm{m}$, top Yb metal, and grid finger shading of 7% coverage. The process optimized cell showed a conversion efficiency about 16%. Top cell was grown by suing a photo-CVD system which gave an ion damage free and good p/i-a-Si:H layer interface. The heterojunction interface effect was examined with three different surface states; a chemical passivation, thermal oxide passivation, and Yb metal. the oxide passivated cell exhibited the higher photocurrent generation and better spectral response.

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Improving Power Conversion Efficiency and Long-term Stability Using a Multifunctional Network Polymer Membrane Electrolyte; A Novel Quasi-solid State Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

  • Gang, Gyeong-Ho;Gwon, Yeong-Su;Song, In-Yeong;Park, Seong-Hae;Park, Tae-Ho
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2014.02a
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    • pp.484.2-484.2
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    • 2014
  • There are many efforts to improving the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Although DSCs have a low production cost, their low PCE and low thermal stability have limited commercial applications. This study describes the preparation of a novel multifunctional polymer gel electrolyte in which a cross-linking polymerization reaction is used to encapsulate $TiO_2$ nanoparticles toward improving the power conversion efficiency and long-term stability of a quasi-solid state DSC. A series of liquid junction dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) was fabricated based on polymer membrane encapsulated dye-sensitized $TiO_2$ nanoparticles, prepared using a surface-induced cross-linking polymerization reaction, to investigate the dependence of the solar cell performance on the encapsulating membrane layer thickness. The ion conductivity decreased as the membrane thickness increased; however, the long term-stability of the devices improved with increasing membrane thickness. Nanoparticles encapsulated in a thick membrane (ca. 37 nm), obtained using a 90 min polymerization time, exhibited excellent pore filling among $TiO_2$ particles. This nanoparticle layer was used to fabricate a thin-layered, quasi-solid state DSC. The thick membrane prevented short-circuit paths from forming between the counter and the $TiO_2$ electrode, thereby reducing the minimum necessary electrode separation distance. The quasi-solid state DSC yielded a high power conversion efficiency (7.6/8.1%) and excellent stability during heating at $65^{\circ}C$ over 30 days. These performance characteristics were superior to those obtained from a conventional DSC (7.5/3.5%) prepared using a $TiO_2$ active layer with the same thickness. The reduced electrode separation distance shortened the charge transport pathways, which compensated for the reduced ion conductivity in the polymer gel electrolyte. Excellent pore filling on the $TiO_2$ particles minimized the exposure of the dye to the liquid and reduced dye detachment.

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Efficiency Variation of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Influenced by Phosphor Additives (형광체 첨가에 따른 염료감응형 태양전지의 효율 변화)

  • Jung, Sung-Hoon;Hwang, Kyung-Jun;Kang, Sung-Won;Jeong, Hyung-Gon;Kim, Sun-Il;Lee, Jae-Wook
    • Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.227-233
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    • 2009
  • Recently, dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), one of the solar cells, has been widely investigated. Studies on DSSCs can be classified into 4 fields such as $TiO_2$ nanocrystalline materials, dyes, electrolytes and conductive plate. In this work, $TiO_2$ nanoparticles for dye adsorption were synthesized, and added into the photo-electrode paste with different phosphor types and contents. Then, the influence of phosphor additives on the conversion efficiency of DSSCs was investigated. It was found that the maximum conversion efficiency was 8.81% when 0.5% of YAG phospher having the particle size of 400 nm was used.

A Novel Simple Method to Abstract the Entire Parameters of the Solar Cell

  • Park, Minwon;Yu, In-Keun
    • KIEE International Transaction on Electrical Machinery and Energy Conversion Systems
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    • v.4B no.2
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    • pp.86-91
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    • 2004
  • PV power generation, which directly converts solar radiation into electricity, contains numerous significant advantages. It is inexhaustible and pollution-free, silent, contains no rotating parts, and has size-independent electricity conversion efficiency. The positive environmental effect of photovoltaics is that it replaces the more polluting methods of electricity generation or that it provides electricity where none was available before. This paper highlights a novel simple method to abstract the entire parameters of the solar cell. In development, design and operation of PV power generation systems, a technique for constructing V-I curves under different levels of solar irradiance and cell temperature conditions using basic characteristic values of the PV module is required. Everyone who has performed manual acquisition and analysis of solar cell I versus V data would agree that the job is tedious and time-consuming. A better alternative is to use an automated curve tracer to print out the I versus V curves and compute the four major parameters; $V_{oc}$, $I_{sc}$, FF, and . Generally, the V-I curve tracer indicates only the commonly used solar cell parameters. However, with the conventional V-I curve tracer it is almost impossible to abstract the more detailed parameters of the solar cell; A, $R_{s}$ and $R_{sh}$ , which satisfies the user, who aims at the analysis of the development of the PV power generation system, that being advanced simulation. In this paper, the proposed method provides us with satisfactory results to enable us to abstract the detailed parameters of the solar cell; A, $R_s$ and $R_{sh}$.>.

Rear Surface Passivation with Al2O3 Layer by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering for High-Efficiency Silicon Solar Cell

  • Moon, Sun-Woo;Kim, Eun-Kyeom;Park, Won-Woong;Jeon, Jun-Hong;Choi, Jin-Young;Kim, Dong-Hwan;Han, Seung-Hee
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2012.02a
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    • pp.211-211
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    • 2012
  • The electrical loss of the photo-generated carriers is dominated by the recombination at the metal- semiconductor interface. In order to enhance the performance of the solar cells, many studies have been performed on the surface treatment with passivation layer like SiN, SiO2, Al2O3, and a-Si:H. In this work, Al2O3 thin films were investigated to reduce recombination at surface. The Al2O3 thin films have two advantages, such as good passivation properties and back surface field (BSF) effect at rear surface. It is usually deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. However, ALD process is a very expensive process and it has rather low deposition rate. In this study, the ICP-assisted reactive magnetron sputtering method was used to deposit Al2O3 thin films. For optimization of the properties of the Al2O3 thin film, various fabrication conditions were controlled, such as ICP RF power, substrate bias voltage and deposition temperature, and argon to oxygen ratio. Chemical states and atomic concentration ratio were analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In order to investigate the electrical properties, Al/(Al2O3 or SiO2,/Al2O3)/Si (MIS) devices were fabricated and characterized using the C-V measurement technique (HP 4284A). The detailed characteristics of the Al2O3 passivation thin films manufactured by ICP-assisted reactive magnetron sputtering technique will be shown and discussed.

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Development trends of Solar cell technologies for Small satellite (소형위성용 태양전지 개발 동향 및 발전 방향)

  • Choi, Jun Hee
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.22 no.5
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    • pp.310-316
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    • 2021
  • Conventional satellites are generally large satellites that are multi-functional and have high performance. However, small satellites have been gradually drawing attention since the recent development of lightweight and integrated electric, electronic, and optical technologies. As the size and weight of a satellite decrease, the barrier to satellite development is becoming lower due to the cost of manufacture and cheaper launch. However, solar panels are essential for the power supply of satellites but have limitations in miniaturization and weight reduction because they require a large surface area to be efficiently exposed to sunlight. Space solar cells must be manufactured in consideration of various space environments such as spacecraft and environments with solar thermal temperatures. It is necessary to study structural materials for lightweight and high-efficiency solar cells by applying an unfolding mechanism that optimizes the surface-to-volume ratio. Currently, most products are developed and operated as solar cell panels for space applications with a triple-junction structure of InGaP/GaAs/Ge materials for high efficiency. Furthermore, multi-layered junctions have been studied for ultra-high-efficiency solar cells. Flexible thin-film solar cells and organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells are advantageous for material weight reduction and are attracting attention as next-generation solar cells for small satellites.

A Study on the Experimental Fabrication and Analysis of MOS Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion Device (MOS 광전변화소자의 식적에 관한 연구)

  • Ko, Gi-Man;Park, Sung-Hui;Sung, Man-Young
    • The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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    • v.33 no.6
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    • pp.203-211
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    • 1984
  • MOS silicon solar cells have been developed using the fixed (interface) charge inherent to thermally oxidized silicon to induce an n-type inversion layer in 1-10 ohm-cm p-type silicon. Higher collection efficiencies are predicted than for diffused junction cells. Without special precautions a conversion efficiency of 14.2% is obtained. A MOS silicon solar cell is described in which an inversion layer forms the active area which is then contacted by means of a MOS grid. The highest efficiency is obtained when the resistivity of the substrate is high.

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Low-cost Contact formation of High-Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells by Plating

  • Kim D. S.;Lee E. J.;Kim J.;Lee S. H.
    • New & Renewable Energy
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    • v.1 no.1 s.1
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    • pp.37-43
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    • 2005
  • High-efficiency silicon solar cells have potential applications on mobile electronics and electrical vehicles. The fabrication processes of the high efficiency cells necessitate com placated fabrication precesses and expensive materials. Ti/Pd/Ag metal contact has been used only for limited area In spite of good stability and low contact resistance because of Its expensive material cost and precesses. Screen printed contact formed by Ag paste causes a low fill factor and a high shading loss of commercial solar cells because of high contact resistance and a low aspect ratio. Low cost Ni/Cu metal contact has been formed by using a low cost electroless and electroplating. Nickel silicide formation at the interface enhances stability and reduces the contact resistance resulting In an energy conversion efficiency of $20.2\%\;on\;0.50{\Omega}cm$ FZ wafer. Tapered contact structure has been applied to large area solar cells with $6.7\times6.7cm^2$ in order to reduce power losses by the front contact The tapered front metal contact Is easily formed by the electroplating technique producing $45cm^2$ solar cells with an efficiency of $21.4\%$ on $21.4\%\;on\;2{\Omega}cm$ FZ wafer.

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Observation of Carrier Multiplication via Internal Quantum Efficiency Exceeding 100% in PbS QDs Monolayer Solar Cells

  • Park, So Yeon;Chung, Hyun Suk;Han, Gill Sang;Su, Jang Ji;Jung, Hyun Suk
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2014.02a
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    • pp.467.1-467.1
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    • 2014
  • Quantum dots (QD) solar cells has received considerable attention due to their potential of improving the overall conversion efficiency by harvesting excess energy via multiple excitons generation (MEG). Although there have been many reports which show MEG phenomena by using optical measurement of quantum dots themselves, carrier multiplication in real QD photovoltaic devices has been sparsely reported due to difficulty in dissociation of excitons and charge collection. In this reports, heterojunction QD solar cells composed of PbS QD monolayer on highly crystalline $TiO_2$ thin films were fabricated by using Langmuir-Blodgett deposition technique to significantly reduce charge recombination at the interfaces between each QD. The PbS CQDs monolayer was characterized by using UV-vis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The internal quantum efficiency (IQE) for the monolayer QD solar cells was obtained by measurement of external quantum efficiency and determining light absorption efficiency of active layer. Carrier multiplication was observed by measuring IQE greater than 100% over threshold photon energy. Our findings demonstrate that monolayer QD solar cell structure is potentially capable of realizing highly efficient solar cells based on carrier multiplication.

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Efficiency Improvement with $Al_2O_3/SiN_x$ Rear Passivation of p-type Mono-crystalline Silicon Solar Cells ($Al_2O_3/SiN_x$ 후면 적층 패시베이션을 이용한 결정질 실리콘 태양전지의 효율 향상 연구)

  • Cheon, Joo Yong;Beak, Sin Hey;Kim, In Seob;Chun, Hui Gon
    • Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.47-51
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    • 2013
  • Current research trends of solar cells has focused on the high conversion efficiency and low-cost production technology. Passivation technology that can be easily adapted to mass production. Therefore, this study conducted experiments with aim of the following two methods for the fabrication of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells. In the first task, an attempt is formation of local Al-BSF to a number of locally doped dots to increase the conversion efficiency of solar cells to reduce the loss of $V_{oc}$ overcome. The second major task, rear surface apply in $Al_2O_3/SiN_x$ stack layer, $Al_2O_3$ prominent negative fixed charge characteristics. As the result of task, Local Al-BSF and $Al_2O_3/SiN_x$ stack layer applied to the p-type single crystalline silicon solar cells, the average $V_{oc}$ of 644mV, $I_{sc}$ of 918mV and conversion efficiency of 18.70% were obtained.