Does the tunnel effect play a major role in the performance of solar cells?
Especially when the device is heavily doped so the depletion layer can be thin enough for tunneling.
Are there any works that study its contribution to improving the solar cells efficiency?
Dear Rahal Wassila Leila
Yes, your new understanding is right.
In order to construct the I-V curve of the solar cell you need only to superimpose the dark current on the photocurrent. Consequently, the short circuit will be the same = Iph but the current of the cell will decrease as the voltage increases reaching a minimum and the returns to its normal current mode as the tunnling current reduces to zero with higher forward voltage.
It will look as a dip in the conventional solar cell curve.
If you have any question please go forward!
Best wishes
I propose the paper below in regard to your question as a starter.
Investigating the electron tunneling effect on photovoltaic performance of almond (Prunus dulcis) dye-sensitized solar cell
Can't a superficial thin oxide layer can be deposited to avoid it..?
Mukut Senapati Sorry for the delay and thanks for your reply.
To my knowledge, the tunnel effect is beneficial for the performance of a solar cell, because it allows more charge carriers to pass and to be collected despite the existence of a potential barrier.
What I would like to know is if the tunnel effect is really important or insignificant?
Dear Rahal Wassila Leila ,
The tunneling affects the dark current only while the photocurrent will not be affected. If you consider that the solar cell characteristics is a superposition of the dark current Id and the photocurrent Iph then the cell performance will be
I= Iph- Id
I thought this problem previously and reached to the conclusion that if the tunnel I-V region is far from the maximum power point, then the tunneling current will
most probably not affect the output power of the solar cell.
But this conclusion needs precise evidence.
This was in the context of our proposed solar cells.
I would like that you follow the paper in the link:Article Physically Based Analytical Model of Heavily Doped Silicon W...
You can find other papers on heavily doped solar cells in the research list of my profile page. You can down load them.
Best wishes
Abdelhalim abdelnaby Zekry I sincerely thank you for your very interesting answer.
So if I understand correctly, the dark current increases when the tunneling occurs, which decreases the total current I.
This completely changes my understanding! The tunneling would therefore be detrimental to the I-V characteristic of the cell?
Dear Rahal Wassila Leila
Yes, your new understanding is right.
In order to construct the I-V curve of the solar cell you need only to superimpose the dark current on the photocurrent. Consequently, the short circuit will be the same = Iph but the current of the cell will decrease as the voltage increases reaching a minimum and the returns to its normal current mode as the tunnling current reduces to zero with higher forward voltage.
It will look as a dip in the conventional solar cell curve.
If you have any question please go forward!
Best wishes
Abdelhalim abdelnaby Zekry Thank you for your usual availability. I will try to read more about this subject, and if necessary I will ask for your help.
Best regards.
Mukut Senapati Ultimatly the tunnelling is disadvantageous for the performance of solar cells. So I will use your suggestion to avoid it! Thank you for your contribution.
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