Solar Cell Device Physics

xuandihou

Solar Cell Device Physics
As was the case with the first edition of  Solar Cell Device Physics,
this book is focused on the materials, structures, and device physics of
photovoltaic devices. Since the first edition was published, much has
happened in photovoltaics, such as the advent of excitonic cells and
nanotechnology. Capturing the essence of these advances made writ-
ing both fun and a challenge. The net result is that Solar Cell Device
Physics has been almost entirely rewritten. A unifying approach to all
the developments is used throughout the new edition. For example, this
unifying approach stresses that all solar cells, whether based on absorp-
tion that produces excitons or on absorption that directly produces free
electron–hole pairs, share the common requirement of needing a struc-
ture that breaks symmetry for the free electrons and holes. The breaking
of symmetry is ultimately what is required to enable a solar cell to pro-
duce electric power. The book takes the perspective that this breaking of
symmetry can occur due to built-in electrostatic fields or due to built-in
effective fields arising from spatial changes in the density of states dis-
tribution (changes in energy level positions, number, or both). The elec-
trostatic-field approach is, of course, what is used in the classic silicon
p–n junction solar cell. The effective-fields approach is, for example,
what is exploited in the dye-sensitized solar cell.