Electrical

Modelling
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Electrical Simulation : Key Concepts
Models transportation of generated
charges to respective electrodes where
they are collected and current is
established in external circuit
Solving drift-diffusion equations yields
charge collected
Self-consistently includes the electrostatic
field
(Poissons Equation)
Conservation of charge relates current
density
and recombination/ generation rate (DC
steady-state)
(Continuity Equation)

DEVICE calculates electron and hole 2

Electrical Simulation : Formulas

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Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Build geometry

Define material properties

Create doping profile

Add simulation domain

Import generation rate

Add electrical contacts

(apply bias)

Calculate solar cell figures 4

Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Geometry

3D layout
Environment
Import from FDTD
Create

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Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Material Properties

Definitions for Conductors, Insulators and

Semiconductors

Conductors: Electrodes (Contacts): Defined by

Workfunction

Semiconductors: Active Materials: Defined by

Mobility, Bandgap, Effective Mass, Recombination
etc.
mbination Models:
Insulators:
Auger, Radiative,Defined
ImpactBy Dielectric Permittivity
Ionization, Tunneling
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Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Doping
Only applied to semiconductors
Three types:
Constant: To Set up Background Concentration
Diffusion: Set Up VBI near contact wells
p-diff: near positive electrode
n-diff: near negative electrode
Import: Customized Doping
Doping objects are additive

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Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Simulation Region

Defines simulation area:

2D/3D
Meshing
Finite Element Mesh (FEM)
Conforms to Geometric Boundary
Changes with Doping
Can be made heavy in active layer
Boundary conditions
Charge can only enter/leave
simulation region through
metal contacts

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Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Import Generation Profile

Source for charge transport

Aligning with simulation region
Objects are cumulative

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Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Electrical Contacts

To define electrodes

To Specify a voltage on a domain

All metals must be defined as contacts

Two Types: Ohmic & Schottky

Two options for bias:

Fixed voltage
Voltage Sweep : For J-V characteristics

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Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Figure of Merits Calculation
Scripting
Open Circuit Voltage VOC
clear; closeall;

Short Circuit Current ISC

Psolar = 100; # mW/cm^2;
# Get results from voltage sweep
base = getresult("CHARGE","base");

Efficiency,
ito = getresult("CHARGE","ito");
I = pinch(ito.I);
V = ito.V_ito;

Fill Factor, FF Lx = getnamed("CHARGE","x span")*100;

Ly = getnamed("CHARGE","y span")*100;
Jo = I/Lx/Ly*1000; # mA/cm^2
plot(V,Jo);
kern = find(Jo<0);
kern = length(kern);

Current Density, slope = (Jo(kern+1) - Jo(kern))/(V(kern+1)-V(kern));

# Get Voc and Jsc
Voc = V(kern) + abs(Jo(kern))/slope;
J= I/A Jsc = -Jo(1);
# truncate the J, V arrays to sweep from 0 V to Voc
J = [Jo(1:kern); 0];

Power, P = J* V V = [V(1:kern); Voc];

plot(V,J,"Voltage (V)","Current density (mA/cm^2)");
#legend("");
# Calculate power voltage relationship
P = abs(J*V);
eta = max(P)/Psolar*100;

= max(P)/PSOLAR ff=(max(P)/(Voc*Jsc));

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Electrical Simulation : Methodology
Results & Plots

Voc = 0.604594 V
Jsc = 17.2227 mA/cm^2
Pmax = 8.57798 mW/cm^2
FF = 0.823794
eta = 8.57798%
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Electrical Simulation : Limitations

Charge transport Solver:

Only designed for crystalline

semiconductors
Not applicable for Tandem solar cell
Solver limitation for heavily doped regions
Convergence problems in case of
customized meshing
Mathematical shifting for multiple
simulations
Miscellaneous
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 Solar Cell

Lets get started.

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