S olar Cell

(Photovoltaics)

Light Electricity

Solar Cell (PV)

발표자 : 20075418 J u Dae-Hyun

Renewable Nonrenewable Enargy

재생에너지원 일회용에너지원
(Renewable Energy) (Nonrenewable Energy)
What is a Solar Cell?

• A structure that converts solar energy directly to DC electric

energy.
– It supplies a voltage and a current to a resistive load (light,
battery, motor).
– Power = Current x Voltage=Current2 x R= Voltage2/R
• It is like a battery because it supplies DC power.
• It is not like a battery because the voltage supplied by the cell
changes with changes in the resistance of the load.
 Basic Physics of Solar Cells

• Silicon (Si) is from group 4 of the period table.

When many Si atoms are in close proximity,
the energy states form bands of forbidden
energy states.

• One of these bands is called the band

gap(Eg) and the absorption of light in Si is a
strong function of Eg.
The Sun as Energy Source
• The Sun daily provides about 10 000 times more energy to
the Earth than we consume
• Photovoltaic technology directly converts solar energy into
electricity
• No moving parts – no noise – no emissions – long lifetime
• Large industrial potential - cost reductions needed
• Feedstock for PV industry is silicon - the second most abun
dant element in the crust of the Earth
Solar Energy status

• Market is exploding
• The solar industry is very profitable
• Lack of highly purified silicon (polysilicon)
• Cost of solar electricity is too high, R&D focus
on reducing cost and increasing efficiency
Actual Growth vs. Historic Forecasts

Actual
market
development
Solar Energy status

• Market is exploding
• The solar industry is very profitable
• Lack of highly purified silicon (polysilicon)
• Cost of solar electricity is too high, R&D focus
on reducing cost and increasing efficiency
 - Gross revenue development 2454
1800

1600
(MNOK)
1705

1400

1200

1000
857
800

600
435
400

200 159

0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Solar Energy status

• Market is exploding
• The solar industry is very profitable
• Lack of highly purified silicon (polysilicon)
• Cost of solar electricity is too high, R&D focus
on reducing cost and increasing efficiency
Solar Grade Silicon Supply-Demand
(MT/year)
25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

SOG Polysilicon supply SOG Polysilicon demand

Solar Energy status

• Market is exploding
• The solar industry is very profitable
• Lack of highly purified silicon (polysilicon)
• Cost of solar electricity is too high, R&D fo
cus on reducing cost and increasing effici
ency
Cost reductions – existing technologies

• Thinner wafers
- Wire sawing
- Laser cutting and etching
• Higher efficiencies
- Semiconductor technologies on single
crystal wafers (examples Sanyo / SunPower)
• Thin film technologies (flat panel display)
Public incentives are important
Cost goals for third generation solar cells

Efficiency and cost projections for first-, second- and third generation photovoltaic
technology (wafers, thin-films, and advanced thin-films, respectively)
Source: University of New South Wales
Next generation technology

• Silicon nanostructures
Bandgap engineering of silicon.
Applications could be tandem solar cells and ene
rgy selective contacts for hot carrier solar cells.
Fabrication of silicon nanostructures consisting o
f quantum well and quantum dot super lattices to
achieve band gap control
 Next generation technology (cont.)

• Up/Down converters
Luminescent materials that:
EITHER absorb one high energy photon and emit m
ore than one low energy photon just above the bad
gap of the solar cell (down-conversion)
OR that absorb more than one low energy photon b
elow the band gap of the cell and emit one photon ju
st above the band gap (up-conversion).
Understanding cell efficiency
SOLAR SPECTRUM AM 1,5
(1000 watt/m2)

18

16 Irradiation AM 1,5
14 Useful irradiation (c-Si)
Irradiance, watt/m2

12

10

0
200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300
wavelength, nm
 Next generation technology (cont.)
• Hot carrier Cells

This concept tackles the major PV loss mechanism of thermalisation

of carriers.

The purpose is to slow down the rate of photoexcited carrier cooling

caused by phonon interaction in the lattice to allow time for the carrie
rs to be collected whilst they are still hot, and hence increasing the vo
ltage of a cell.
 Next generation technology (cont.)
• Thermoelectric solar cells

Application of the concept of energy –selective elec

tron transport used in hot carrier solar cells, to devel
op thermo electrics and thermo-ionics devices.
 The PV Value Chain (multi-crystalline)

Polysilicon Wafer Solar Cell Solar Module Systems

Chemical Process Casting Surface Treatment Assembly Installation

(purification) Cutting Operation
Prices are actually increasing
 Silicon Solar cell

How does solar energy work?

Solar Electric or Photovoltaic Systems convert some of the energy in

sunlight directly into electricity. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are made
primarily of silicon, the second most abundant element in the earth's
crust, and the same semiconductor material used for computers. When
the silicon is combined with one or more other materials, it exhibits
unique electrical properties in the presence of sunlight. Electrons are
excited by the light and move through the silicon. This is known as the
photovoltaic effect and results in direct current (DC) electricity. PV
modules have no moving parts, are virtually maintenance-free, and
have a working life of 20 - 30 years.
 Photovoltaics

Most current solar cells are photovoltaic

Typically made from silicon or amorphous silicon.
Typical efficiency ~ 12%.
Best efficiency ever in laboratory: ~30%.
Theoretical maximum, including concentrating light: 43%

Generic design: doped pn junction.

Photons come in and photoionize donors.
Built-in electric field at junction causes carriers to flow,
building up a potential (voltage) btw the p and n sides.
Clearly one can play with different band gap systems to
arrive at materials with different absorption spectra.
Also, good mobility of charge essential for this to work well -
trapping of charge or poor mobility will kill efficiency.
 Silicon Solar cell

Principle p-n Junction Diode.

Ref. Soft Condensed Matter physics group in

univ. of Queenland
 전자
반사방지막

앞면전극
n층 전
p n접합 기
p층 부
하

뒷면전극
전자
정공 정공
Poly-Si Solar cell Making process

기판준비 :
Si ingot  330m  2cm x 2cm
Surface cleaning

Texturing :
chemical v-groove

p-n junction :
POCl3 (900ºC)

ITO
increasing minorty carrier correction, ARC
Forward surface Electrode

Back Surface Field

Deposition Al and Ag ohmic-contact

Anti-reflection coating (ARC) TiO2 deposition

H2 H2 H2 H2
H2 diffusion
dangling bond H2 bonding
 Decreasing recombination

Measure
Solar Cell, Module, Array

- An individual PV cell typically produces between 1 and 2 watts

Concentrator collectors

• decrease the area of solar cell material being used in a system

Flat-Plate Systems

• Flat-plate collectors typically use

large numbers or areas of cells
that are mounted on a rigid, flat surface.

 substrate ; metal, glass, plastic

• They are simpler to design and fabricate.

• They do not require special optics, specially designed cells, or

mounting structures that must track the sun precisely.
plus, flat-plate collectors can use all the sunlight
Uses for S olar Energy
Main Application Areas – Off-grid

Space

Water Telecom
Pumping

Solar Home Systems

Main Application Areas
Grid Connected

Commercial Building
Systems (50 kW)

Residential Home PV Power Plants

Systems (2-8 kW) ( > 100 kW)
Conclusions
• Solar energy will become the most important and cost-efficient en
ergy source in the future.
• The present lack of silicon feedstock is promoting a rapid develop
ment of next generation technology.
• Immediate actions are taken to cut thinner wafers and increase ce
ll efficiencies for crystalline silicon.
• New thin film technologies are being developed
• Stronger influence from semiconductor industry will accelerate the
development of better technologies
• Nanosilicon and other third generation technologies may offer a lo
ng-term solution for the future solar energy technology.