Week 1: Introduction

Energy and power

E = mc02 = qV = k B T
hc
E ph = hn =
l
1240(eV × nm)
E ph (eV ) =
l (nm)
E = ò P(t )dt
P = VI = I 2 R

Planck’s law
2hc 02 1
e (T , l ) =
LBB
l 5
æ hc 0 ö
expçç ÷÷ - 1
è lk B T ø

I eBB (T , l ) = LBB
e (T , l )W sun
2
æ Rsun ö
W sun = p çç ÷÷
è AU - REarth ø

Air mass
1
AM =
cosq

Week 2: Semiconductor basics

Band gap
EG = EC - EV

Fermi-Dirac function
1
f (E) =
æ E - EF ö
1 + exp ç ÷
è k BT ø

Density of states in conduction and valence bands:

Charge carrier density in conduction and valence band
E top
n0 = ò gC ( E ) f ( E )dE
EC

gV ( E )[1 - f ( E )]dE
EV
p0 = ò
Ebottom

Charge carrier density in conduction and valence band applying Boltzmann approximation

Effective densities of conduction and valence band states

3
æ 2pmn* k BT ö 2
N C = 2 × çç ÷
÷
è h2 ø
3
æ 2pm *p k B T ö 2
NV = 2 × ç ÷
ç h 2 ÷
è ø

Carrier concentration intrinsic semiconductor in equilibrium conditions

æ E - EC ö æ - EG ö
np = ni2 = NC NV expçç V ÷÷ = NC NV expçç ÷÷
è kBT ø è k BT ø ,

Carrier concentration in doped semiconductors in equilibrium conditions

N-type material
n = p + ND » ND
ni2 ni2
p= » << n
n ND

P-type material
p = n + NA » NA
 ni2 ni2
n= » << p0
p NA
Carrier concentration in semiconductors under illumination:
np ¹ ni2
æ EFn - EFp ö
np = ni 2 exp ç ÷
è kBT ø
æ E - EC ö
n = NC exp ç Fn ÷
è kBT ø
æ EV - EFp ö
p = NV exp ç ÷
è kBT ø

Carrier transport mechanisms

Charge transport: drift
v dn = -µn ξ
v dp = µ p ξ

J n ,drift = -q n v dn = q n µn ξ

J p ,drift = q p v dp = q p µ p ξ

J drift = q ( p µ p + n µn ) ξ

Charge transport: diffusion

J n ,diff = q DnÑn

J p ,diff = -q D p Ñp

J diff = q ( DnÑn - DpÑp )

Total current density:

J = J drift + J diff = q ( p µ p + n µn ) ξ + q ( DnÑn - DpÑp )

Einstein relations:
Dn k BT
=
µn q
Dp k BT
=
µp q
Week 3: Generation and recombination
Electrical conductivity
s = qµn n + qµ p p

Thermal recombination/generation rate

¶n Dn
=-
¶t thermal tn
R-G for electrons in a p-type material
dp Dp
=-
dt thermal tp
R-G for holes in an n-type material

Recombination under external generation

Rn' = a r p n » a r p0 d n for electrons in a p-type material
R = a r n p » a r n0 d p
'
p for holes in an n-type material

Ambipolar transport equation

¶ 2 (d n ) ¶ (d n ) d n ¶ (d n )
Dn + µn E +G- =
¶x 2
¶x t n0 ¶t
¶ 2 (d p ) ¶ (d p ) d p ¶ (d p )
Dp - µ pE +G- =
¶x 2
¶x t p0 ¶t

Ambipolar transport equation 3D

¶n 1
= Ñ × J n - Rn + G n
¶t q
¶p 1
= - Ñ × J p - Rp + Gp
¶t q

Week 4: The P-N junction

Charge density in depletion region
r (x ) = q N D for - ln £ x £ 0
r (x) = -q N A for
0 £ x £ lp
N A l p = N D ln
Poisson equation
d 2y dx r
=- =-
dx 2
dx er e0
1
er e0 ò
x= r dx

x (- ln ) = x (l p ) = 0 ,

Built-in voltage
k BT æ N A N D ö
Vbi = EG - E Fn - E Fp = lnçç 2
÷÷
q è ni ø
Vbi =
q
2e r e 0
(N l + N A l p2
2
D n )

Depletion region width of p-n junction

2e r e 0 æ 1 1 ö
W = ln + l p = y0 çç + ÷÷
q N
è A N D ø

Current-voltage relationship
æ qV ö
J rec (Va ) = J rec (Va = 0) expçç a ÷÷
è k BT ø
é æ qV ö ù
J (Va ) = J rec (Va ) - J gen (Va ) - J ph = J 0 êexpçç a ÷÷ - 1ú - J ph
ë è k BT ø û
æ Dn Dp ö
J 0 = q ni2 ç + ÷
çL N L N ÷
è n A p D ø

é qDn n p 0 qD p p n 0 ù
J0 = ê + ú
êë Ln L p úû
J ph = q × G (Ln + W + L p )

External parameters of solar cell

k BT æ J ph ö
Voc = lnçç + 1÷÷
q è J0 ø
voc - ln(voc + 0.72 ) qV
FF = voc = oc
voc + 1 , where k BT
 Pmax J mp Vmp J sc Voc FF
h= = =
Pin Pin Pin
Week 5: Advanced Concepts in Semiconductors
Schottky barrier (for an n-type semiconductor)
fBn = fm - c
Vbi = fBn - fn

Depletion region width Schottky barrier

2e s (Vbi + VR ) æ 1 1 ö
W= çç + ÷÷
q è Nd Na ø

Thermionic emission
é qj ù
J (V ) = A*T 2 exp ê - Bn ú
ë kBT û

Tunneling
é qj ù qh N d
JT µ exp ê - Bn ú E00 =
ë E00 û , with 2 e mn

Specific contact resistance

k BT æ + qf Bn ö
expçç ÷÷
q è k BT ø
Rc =
A*T 2 Thermionic emission
æ + 2 e s mn* f ö
Rc µ expç × Bn ÷
ç h N d ÷ø
è Tunneling

Electron affinity rule

DEC = q( c n - c p )

DEC + DEV = EGp - EGn = DEG

Heterojunction built-in voltage

qVbi = q (fsp - fsn )
æN ö æN ö
qVbi = -DEC + DEG + kBT ln ç Vn ÷ - kBT ln ç Vp ÷
çp ÷
è pn 0 ø è p0 ø
Week 6: Light management 1, Refraction/Dispersion/Diffraction

Electric and magnetic field strengths

E ( r, t ) = E0 exp (ik y y - iwt ) = E0 sin ( k y y - wt )

H ( r, t ) = H0 exp (ik y y - iwt ) = H0 sin ( k y y - wt )

n w 2p 2p n n
ky = = =
c0 l c0

Incident power
P = ò I dA
I = ò P(l )dl
l l
P (l ) l
F = ò f (l )dl = ò dl
0 0
hc

Spectral utilization
lG l l
hc G G

ò0 F(λ) λ dλ EG ò0 F(λ ) dλ EG ò0 F(λ ) dλ

h ult = p abs puse = ¥ × lG = ¥
hc hc hc
ò0 F(λ ) λ dλ ò F(λ) λ dλ ò0 F(λ) λ dλ
0

Front grid
Af
Cf =
Atot
rL
R=
WH

Complex refractive index

n%= e%= n + ik

Absorption coefficient
4pk
a=
l

Lambert-beer law
I x = I 0 exp ( -a x )
Snell’s law
n1 (l ) sin(qi ) = n2 (l ) sin(qt )
qi = q r
æ n2 ö
q critical = sin -1 çç ÷÷
n
è 1ø
æ n2 ö
q Brewster = tan -1 ç ÷
è n1 ø

Fresnel coefficients
n1 cos(qi ) - n2 cos(qt )
rS =
n1 cos(qi ) + n2 cos(qt )
n1 cos(q t ) - n2 cos(q i )
rP =
n1 cos(q t ) + n2 cos(q i )

R = r 2 = 1- T
æ n - n2 ö
RP = RS = çç 1 ÷÷
è n1 + n2 ø under normal incidence

RP =
2
(
1 2
rS + rP2 )
for unpolarised light

Wave superimposition
C0 = A0 + B0 exp ( ij )

Dielectric multi-layers
lB
= nH d1 = nL d 2
4
2
æ n0 nL2 p - nS nH2 p ö
R=ç 2p ÷
è n0 nL + nS nH ø
2p

4 æ n - nL ö
Dl = lB sin -1 ç H ÷
p è nH + nL ø

Diffraction grating
2p d sin q
= mj
l
Week 7. Light management II: light scattering
Rayleigh scattering
2
æ 2p ö æ n p - n0 ö æ d ö 1 + cos q
4 2 2 6 2
I (q ) = I 0 ç ÷ ç 2 2 ÷ ç ÷
è l ø çè n p + 2n0 ÷ø è 2 ø 2R2

Radiance
d W = sin q d q d j
P=ò ò p L cosq d W dS
e
S 2

1 ¶4 P Le
Le = L*e =
cos q ¶S ¶W n2

Etendue
P
Etendue = *
= n 2 dS cos q dq
Le

Week 8. Solar cell engineering

External quantum efficiency
I ph ( l )
EQE ( l ) =
j (l ) q
EQE (l ) = (1 - R(l ) ) × I QEop (l )×h g (l ) × IQE el (l )
l
J sc (V = 0 V) = q ò F(l ) × EQE(l )dl
0

Solar cell efficiency

lG lG
hc
ò0 F(λ) λ dλ EG ò F(λ ) dλ
Af qVoc
h= ¥
× lG 0
× (1 - R(l ) ) × I QEop (l )×h g (l ) × IQEel (l ) × × FF
hc hc Atot EG
ò F(λ )
0
λ
dλ ò F(λ ) λ
dλ
0