Numerical Optimization of a Bifacial Bi-Glass Thin-Film a-Si:H Solar Cell for Higher Conversion Efficiency

Bifacial solar cells that maximize the energy output per a square meter have become a new fashion in the field of photovoltaic cells. However, the application of thin-film material on bifacial solar cells, viz., thin-film amorphous hydrogenated silicon ( a - Si:H ), is extremely rare. Therefore, thi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of electronic materials 2018-02, Vol.47 (2), p.1140-1150
Main Authors: Berrian, Djaber, Fathi, Mohamed, Kechouane, Mohamed
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amorphous materials
Band gap
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemistry and Materials Science
Computer simulation
Electronics and Microelectronics
Emitters
Energy conversion efficiency
Instrumentation
Materials research
Materials Science
Optical and Electronic Materials
Optimization
Photovoltaic cells
Silicon
Silicon wafers
Solar cells
Solid State Physics
Thin films
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Summary:Bifacial solar cells that maximize the energy output per a square meter have become a new fashion in the field of photovoltaic cells. However, the application of thin-film material on bifacial solar cells, viz., thin-film amorphous hydrogenated silicon ( a - Si:H ), is extremely rare. Therefore, this paper presents the optimization and influence of the band gap, thickness and doping on the performance of a glass/glass thin-film a - Si:H ( n - i - p ) bifacial solar cell, using a computer-aided simulation tool, Automat for simulation of hetero-structures (AFORS-HET). It is worth mentioning that the thickness and the band gap of the i -layer are the key parameters in achieving higher efficiency and hence it has to be handled carefully during the fabrication process. Furthermore, an efficient thin-film a - Si:H bifacial solar cell requires thinner and heavily doped n and p emitter layers. On the other hand, the band gap of the p -layer showed a dramatic reduction of the efficiency at 2.3 eV. Moreover, a high bifaciality factor of more than 92% is attained, and top efficiency of 10.9% is revealed under p side illumination. These optimizations demonstrate significant enhancements of the recent experimental work on thin-film a - Si:H bifacial solar cells and would also be useful for future experimental investigations on an efficient a - Si:H thin-film bifacial solar cell.
ISSN:0361-5235
1543-186X
DOI:10.1007/s11664-017-5828-7