Fundamental Mechanisms Behind the Reverse Characteristic of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ Solar Cells

Partial shading of PV modules can lead to degradation of the shaded cells. The degradation originates from a reverse bias voltage over the shaded cells. In order to mitigate reverse bias damage in Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) modules, a good understanding of the fundamental mechanisms governing the reverse characteristic is required. In this study, a...

How the absorber thickness influences the formation of reverse bias induced defects in CIGS solar cells

When a PV module is partially shaded, the shaded solar cells operate in a reverse bias condition. For Cu(In,Ga)Se2 cells this condition can cause defects that irreversibly reduce the output of these cells and the full module. In order to design robust shade-tolerant CIGS modules details need to be known of the conditions at which these...

Impact of the Current on Reverse Bias Degradation of Perovskite Solar Cells

Nonequal current generation in the cells of a photovoltaic module, e.g., due to partial shading, leads to operation in reverse bias. This quickly causes a significant efficiency loss in perovskite solar cells. We report a more quantitative investigation of the reverse bias degradation. Various small reverse biases (negative voltages) were...

Material Property Changes in Defects Caused by Reverse Bias Exposure of CIGS Solar Cells

Partial shading of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ modules can lead to the formation of reverse bias induced wormlike defects. These wormlike defects act as local shunts and permanently decrease module output. A good understanding of the formation and propagation mechanisms of these defects is needed in order to mitigate the negative effects, or to...

Propagation mechanism of reverse bias induced defects in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells

Partial shading of monolithically interconnected Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGSe) modules can lead to the formation of reverse bias induced defects. These localized defects permanently reduce the output of the PV module. The formation and propagation mechanisms of these defects is studied. Understanding these mechanisms can help to prevent or...