Solar cell rotation bracket diagram

What is the theory of solar cells?

The theory of solar cells explains the process by which light energy in photons is converted into electric current when the photons strike a suitable semiconductor device.

How does a solar cell work?

The light enters the emitter first. The emitter is usually thin to keep the depletion region near where the light is strongly absorbed and the base is usually made thick enough to absorb most of the light. The basic steps in the operation of a solar cell are: the dissipation of power in the load and in parasitic resistances.

What is a typical solar cell structure?

At present, the most frequent example of the above-described solar cell structure is realized with crystalline silicon (c-Si). A typical c-Si solar cell structure is shown in Figure 3.1. A moderately-doped p-type c-Si with an acceptor concentration of 1016 cm-3 is used as an absorber.

Why do solar cells have a special structure?

Due to their special structure and the materials in solar cells, the electrons are only allowed to move in a single direction. The electronic structure of the materials is very important for the process to work, and often silicon incorporating small amounts of boron or phosphorus is used in different layers.

What are the loss mechanisms in single bandgap solar cells?

The two most important loss mechanisms in single bandgap solar cells are the inability to convert photons with energies below the bandgap to electricity and thermalisation of photon energies exceeding the bandgap, as illustrated in Fig. 3.1 (b).

What is the dominant mode of charge carrier separation in thick solar cells?

In thick solar cells there is very little electric field in the active region outside the space charge zone, so the dominant mode of charge carrier separation is diffusion.