Quantitative theory of the grain boundary impact on the open-circuit voltage of polycrystalline solar cells.

ABSTRACT: Thin film polycrystalline photovoltaics are a mature, commercially-relevant technology. However, basic questions persist about the role of grain boundaries in the performance of these materials, and the extent to which these defects may limit further progress. In this work, we first extend previous analysis of columnar grain boundaries to develop a model of the recombination current of "tilted" grain boundaries. We then consider systems with multiple, intersecting grain boundaries and numerically determine the parameter space for which our analytical model accurately describes the recombination current. We find that for material parameters relevant for thin film photovoltaics, our model can be applied to compute the open-circuit voltage of materials with networks of inhomogeneous grain bou

SUBMITTER: Gaury B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11574868 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature