Title :
The mesoscale physics of large-area photovoltaics
Author :
Karpov, V.G. ; Shvydka, Diana ; Roussilon, Y. ; Compaan, A.D.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys., Toledo Univ., OH, USA
Abstract :
Recent findings make the physics of large-area thin- film devices a distinctive field of its own, considerably different from that of microelectronics. We show that (i) large-area thin-film photovoltaic (PV) devices are intrinsically nonuniform in the lateral directions, (ii) the nonuniformity spans over microscopically large dimensions, which can vary dramatically (from microns to meters) depending on light intensity and bias, and (iii) the nonuniformity significantly impacts the device performance and stability. Our understanding suggests the concept of interfacial layer that blocks the nonuniformity effects and can be applied photo-electrochemically. This concept is experimentally verified.
Keywords :
photoelectrochemistry; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; device performance; device stability; interfacial layer; large-area photovoltaics; light intensity; mesoscale physics; nonuniformity; photo-electrochemical effect;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 2003. Proceedings of 3rd World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Osaka, Japan
Print_ISBN :
4-9901816-0-3