The effect of interposing nanocrystalline Si(B) P plus layer on the photovoltaic properties of a-Si: H tandem solar cells

Tandem amorphous silicon solar cells have attracted extensive interest because of better performance than single junction counterpart. As n/p junctions play an important role in the current transportation of tandem solar cells, it is important to design and fabricate good n/p junctions.The properties of the n/p junction of amorphous silicon (a-Si) were studied. We investigate the effect of interposing a nanocrystalline p(+) layer between n (top cell) and p (bottom cell) layers of a tandem solar cell. The crystalline volume fraction, the band gap, the conductivity and the grain size of the nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) p(+) layer could be modulated by changing the deposition parameters.Current transport in a-Si based n/p ("tunnel") junctions was investigated by current-voltage measurements. The voltage dependence on the resistance (V/J) of the tandem cells was examined to see if n/p junction was ohmic contact. To study the affection of different doping concentration to the properties of the nc-Si p(+) layers which varied the properties of the tunnel junctions, three nc-Si p(+) film samples were grown, measured and analyzed.

Reliable concentrated photovoltaic system with compound concentrator

Concentrated photovoltaic systems (CPVSs) draw more and more attention because of high photovoltaic conversion efficiency, low consumption of solar cell, and low cost of power generation. However, the fallibility of the tracker in such systems has hindered their practical application for more than twenty years. The tracker is indispensable for a CPVS since only normal-incident sunlight can be focused on the solar cell chips, even a slight deviation of incident light will result in a significant loss of solar radiation, and hence a distinct decrease in electricity output. Generally, the more accurate the tracker is, the more reliable the system is. However, it is not exactly the case for a CPVS reliability, because the more accurate the tracker is, the better environment it demands. A CPVS is usually has to subjected to harsh environmental conditions, such as strong wind, heavy rain or snow, and huge changes of temperature, which leads to the invalidation of the system's high-accuracy tracker. Hence, the reliability of a CPVS cannot be improved only by enhancing the tracker's accuracy. In this paper, a novel compound concentrator, combination of Fresnel lens and photo-funnel, has been adopted in a prototype CPVS. Test results show that the compound concentrator can relax the angle tolerance from one tenth to five degrees of arc at 400 suns, which can help a CPVS endure serious environment and remain its reliability over long period. The CPVS with compound concentrator is attractive for commercial application.

The application of parallel optical transmitter and receiver modules in communication subsystems

A new 12 channels parallel optical transmitter module in which a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) has been selected as the optical source is capable of transmitting 37.5Gbps date over hundreds meters. A new 12 channels parallel optical receiver module in which a GaAs PIN (p-intrinsic-n-type) array has been selected as the optical receiver unit is capable of responding to 30Gbps date. A transmission system based on a 12 channels parallel optical transmitter module and a 12 channels parallel optical receiver module can be used as a 10Gbps STM-64 or an OC-192 optical transponder. The parallel optical modules and the parallel optical transmission system have passed the test in laboratory.

Photovoltaic effect of tin disulfide with nanocrystalline/amorphous blended phases

Tin disulfide (SnS2) nanocrystalline/amorphous blended phases were synthesized by mild chemical reaction. Both X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements demonstrate that the as-synthesized particles presented very small size, with a diameter of only a few nanometers. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum suggests efficient splitting of photo-generated excitons in poly[2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) and SnS2 hybrid films. Organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells comprising MDMO-PPV and SnS2 were prepared, giving photovoltage, photocurrent, fill factor and efficiency values of 0.702 V, 0.549 mA/cm(2), 0.385 and 0.148%, respectively, which suggests that this phase-blended inorganic semiconductor can also serve as a promising solar energy material. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electropolymerized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) film on ITO glass and its application in photovoltaic device

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiopliene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films have been electrochemically polymerized in situ on ITO glass substrate in boron trifluoride diethyl etherate electrolyte (BFEE). Cyclic voltammograms show good redox activity and stability of the PEDOT films. These films had been directly used to fabricate organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells with the structure of ITO/PEDOT/ZnO:MDMC-PPV/Al. The solar cells made of electrochemically polymerized films exhibit higher energy conversion efficiencies compared with that prepared by the spin-coating method, and the highest value is 0.33%. This in-situ electropolymerized method effectively simplifies fabricating procedures and may blaze a facile and economical route for producing high-efficiency solar cells.

A Photovoltaic InAs Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetector

A photovoltaic quantum dot infrared photodetector with InAs/GaAs/AlGaAs structures is reported. The detector is sensitive to normal incident light. At zero bias and 78 K, a clear spectral response in the range of 2 -7 mu m has been obtained with peaks at 3.1, 4.8 and 5.7 mu m. The bandgap energies of GaAs and Al0.2Ga0.8As at 78K are calculated and the energy diagram of the transitions in the Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetector (QDIP) is given out. The photocurrent signals can be detected up to 110 K, which is state-of-the-art for photovoltaic QDIP. The photovoltaic effect in our detector is a result of the enhanced band asymmetry as we design in the structure.

Evaluating the effect of dislocation on the photovoltaic performance of metamorphic tandem solar cells

The photovoltaic conversion efficiency for monolithic GaInP/GaInAs/Ge triple-junction cell with various bandgap combination (300 suns, AM1.5d) was theoretically calculated. An impressive improvement on conversion efficiency was observed for a bandgap combination of 1.708, 1.194, and 0.67 eV. A theoretical investigation was carried out on the effect of dislocation on the metamorphic structure's efficiency by regarding dislocation as minority-carrier recombination center. The results showed that only when dislocation density was less than 1.6x10(6) cm(-2), can this metamorphic combination exhibit its efficiency advantage over the fully-matched combination. In addition, we also briefly evaluated the lattice misfit dependence of the dislocation density for a group of metamorphic triple-junction system, and used it as guidance for the choice of the proper cell structure.

One-dimensional modulation instability of broad optical beams in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals under steady-state conditions

We present a comprehensive study of the one-dimensional modulation instability of broad optical beams in biased photo refractive-photovoltaic crystals under steady-state conditions. We obtain the one-dimensional modulation instability growth rate by globally treating the space-charge field and by considering distinction between values of Eo in nonlocal effects and local effects in the space-charge field, where Eo is the field constant correlated with terms in the space-charge field, which depends on the external bias field, the bulk photovoltaic effect, and the ratio of the optical beam's intensity to that of the dark irradiance. The one-dimensional modulation instability growth rate in local effects can be determined from that in nonlocal effects. When the bulk photovoltaic effect is neglectable, irrespective of distinction between values of Eo in nonlocal effects and local effects in the space-charge field, the one-dimensional modulation instability growth rates in nonlocal effects and local effects are those of broad optical beams studied previously in biased photorefractive-nonphotovoltaic crystals. When the external bias field is absent, the one-dimensional modulation instability growth rates in nonlocal effects and local effects predict those of broad optical beams in open- and closed-circuit photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Steady-state bright-dark vector spatial solitons in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals

We show that bright-dark vector solitons are possible in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals under steady-state conditions, which result from both the bulk photovoltaic effect and the spatially nonuniform screening of the external bias field. The analytical solutions of these vector solitons can be obtained in the case of \sigma\ much less than 1, where sigma is the parameter controlling the intensities of the two optical beams. In the limit of -1 < sigma much less than 1, these vector solitons can also be determined by use of simple numerical integration procedures. When the bulk photovoltaic effect is neglectable, these vector solitons are bright-dark vector screening solitons studied previously in the \sigma\ much less than 1 regime, and predict bright-dark vector screening solitons in the -1 < sigma less than or equal to 1 regime. When the external bias field is absent, these vector solitons predict bright-dark vector photovoltaic solitons in closed and open circuits. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Two-dimensional photovoltaic dark spatial solitons of partially spatially incoherent light

We report a successful experimental observation of two-dimensional photovoltaic dark solitons in an anisotropic crystal with partially spatially incoherent light beams. This kind of solitons results from the bulk photovoltaic effect, which depends on the direction of propagation of the optical beam and on the orientation of the intensity gradient, with respect to the principal axes of the crystal.

Modulation instability of quasi-plane-wave optical beams in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals

We investigate the modulation instability of quasi-plane-wave optical beams in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals by globally treating the space-charge field. The modulation instability growth rate is obtained, which depends on the external bias field, on the bulk photovoltaic effect, and on the ratio of the optical beam's intensity to that of the dark irradiance. Our analysis indicates that this modulation instability growth rate is identical to the modulation instability growth rate studied previously in biased photorefractive-nonphotovoltaic crystals when the bulk photovoltaic effect is negligible for shorted circuits, and predicts the modulation instability growth rate in open- and closed-circuit photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals when the external bias field is absent.

Grey screening-photovoltaic soliton-induced waveguides

This paper shows that waveguides induced by grey screening-photovoltaic solitons are always single mode for all intensity ratios, which are the ratio between the peak intensity of the soliton and the dark irradiance. It finds that the confined energy near the centre of the grey soliton and the propagation constant of the guided mode increase monotonically with increasing intensity ratio. On the other hand, when the soliton greyness increases, the confined energy near the centre of the grey soliton and the propagation constant of the guided mode reduce monotonically. When the bulk photovoltaic effect is neglected for short circuits, these waveguides become waveguides induced by grey screening solitons. When the external bias field is absent, these waveguides become waveguides induced by grey photovoltaic solitons.