Optical Simulation-Aided Design and Engineering of Monolithic Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells

Monolithic perovskite/c-Si tandem solar cells have attracted enormous research attention and have achieved efficiencies above 30%. This work describes the development of monolithic tandem solar cells based on silicon heterojunction (SHJ) bottom- and perovskite top-cells and highlights light management techniques assisted by optical simulation...

Comparing optical performance of a wide range of perovskite/silicon tandem architectures under real-world conditions

Since single junction c-Si solar cells are reaching their practical efficiency limit. Perovskite/c-Si tandem solar cells hold the promise of achieving greater than 30% efficiencies. In this regard, optical simulations can deliver guidelines for reducing the parasitic absorption losses and increasing the photocurrent density of the tandem...

Geometrical optimisation of core-shell nanowire arrays for enhanced absorption in thin crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells

Background: Elongated nanostructures, such as nanowires, have attracted significant attention for application in silicon-based solar cells. The high aspect ratio and characteristic radial junction configuration can lead to higher device performance, by increasing light absorption and, at the same time, improving the collection efficiency of...

Quenching Mo optical losses in CIGS solar cells by a point contacted dual-layer dielectric spacer: A 3-D optical study

A 3-D optical modelling was calibrated to calculate the light absorption and the total reflection of fabricated CIGS solar cells. Absorption losses at molybdenum (Mo) / CIGS interface were explained in terms of plasmonic waves. To quench these losses, we assumed the insertion of a lossless dielectric spacer between Mo and CIGS, whose optical...

GenPro4 Optical Model for Solar Cell Simulation and Its Application to Multijunction Solar Cells

We present a new version of our optical model for solar cell simulation: GenPro4. Its working principles are briefly explained. The model is suitable for quickly and accurately simulating a wide range of wafer-based and thin-film solar cells. Especially adjusting layer thicknesses to match the currents in multijunction devices can be done...

Advanced Light Management Approaches for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

Light management is important for improving the performance of thin-film solar cells. Advanced concepts of efficient light scattering and trapping inside the cell structures need to be investigated. An important tool for design and optimisation of the concepts present optical modelling and simulation. In the article a model of light scattering...

Standing waves in fiber-optic interferometers

A study is presented giving the response of three types of fiber-optic interferometers by which a standing wave through an object is investigated. The three types are a Sagnac, Mach–Zehnder and Michelson–Morley interferometer. The response of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer is similar to the Sagnac interferometer. However, the Sagnac...

Modeling and optimization of white paint back reflectors for thin-film silicon solar cells

Diffusive dielectric materials such as white paint have been demonstrated as effective back reflectors in the photovoltaic technology. In this work, a one-dimensional (1D) optical modeling approach for simulation of white paint films is developed and implemented in a 1D optical simulator for thin-film solar cells. The parameters of white paint,...

Distributed fiber?optic temperature sensing for hydrologic systems

Instruments for distributed fiber-optic measurement of temperature are now available with temperature resolution of 0.01°C and spatial resolution of 1 m with temporal resolution of fractions of a minute along standard fiber-optic cables used for communication with lengths of up to 30,000 m. We discuss the spectrum of fiber-optic tools that may...