What is the maximum thickness of absorbing layer in thin film solar cell technology?
Dear Deepak,
thicknesses in TF Solar cells is a tread-off between several parameters (electrical properties of the film itself, optical properties, etc...). Furthermore, it will depends on what kind of TF technology are you looking for. For TF Silicon record module (single layer), for example, a record module used a total thickness of 230nm (see Article Record amorphous silicon single-junction photovoltaic module...
)For a record tandem module the Amorphous layer had 230nm (absorber) and the microcrystalline layer 2000nm (absorber) (see Article Improved conversion efficiencies of thin-film silicon tandem...
).For other technologies (or same technology but different deposition methods or regimes) you will have other thicknesses for the best performance. Hope to have been helpful.
Dear Deepak,
Adding to Ivan, the thickness of the absorber is determined by two cruterion:
The diffusion length of the minority carriers in the film where the thickness must be smaller equal the diffusion length such that one can collect all the photogenerated electrons and holes.
The other criterion is to make the thickness greater than the the absorption length of the largest wavelength of the incident solar radiation.
This length= 1/ alpha, with alpha is the absorption coefficient.For more information please follow the link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323309527_Solar_cells_and_arrays_Principles_analysis_and_design
Best wishes
Dear Deepak Suthar,
I thank very much Mr Ivan Sinicco and Mr Abdelhalim Zekry, for their valuable opinions !! But my opinion is that it depends on the absorption coefficient of the obtained samples, for exemple we must deposit only very thin absorbers for layers having high absorption coefficient (the optimum thickness is between 1-3 µm for CIGS, CdTe, ... absorbers). For TFSC based on Si absorber layer the optimum thickness my reach 200 µm.
best regards.
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