Thin-Film Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

Rolf Brendel studied Physics and Mathematics in Freiburg, Brighton (UK), and Heidelberg. After his Ph.D. in materials science at the University Erlangen-Nuremberg he worked for five years with the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart. He is the head of the division for Thermosensorics and Photovoltaics at the Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research (ZAE Bayern) and teaches Physics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

• INTRODUCTIONPHYSICAL LOSS MECHANISMSLimitations to photogenerationLimitations to radiative recombinationLimitations by non-radiative recombinationADVANCED QUANTUM EFFICIENCY ANALYSISDefinition of effective diffusion lengthsReciprocity theorem for charge carrier collectionApplications of the generalized reciprocity theoremLimiting recombination parameters derived from LQAnalytical quantum efficiency model for thin filmsDifferential and actual recombination parametersTECHNOLOCIAL APPROACH TO THIN-FILM CELLSHigh-temperature substrate (HTS) approachLow-temperature substrate (LTS) approachLayer-transfer process (LTP) approachWAFFLE CELLS FROM THE POROUS SI (PSI) PROCESSExpitaxy on porous SiModule conceptsOptical absorption in Si wafflesEfficiency potentialSUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSPhysical limitations to power conversionRevealing the limitations of experimental cellsLimitations of current thin-film approachesOvercoming technological limitations with the porous Si (PSI) processUpdating RemarkAPPENDICESLight trappingRecombinationQuantum efficiency

"In conclusion, this is probably the first book to offer a comprehensive treatment of the specific problems of thin silicon solar cells. It can be warmly recommended to those interested in the development of an emerging aspect of silicon photovoltaics." Gilles Horowitz, ITODYS, Universite Paris, Advanced Materials, September 2004