Physics of Solar Cells

The new edition of this highly regarded textbook provides a detailed overview of the most important characterization techniques for solar cells and a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages.

It describes in detail all aspects of solar cell function, the physics behind every single step, as well as all the issues to be considered when improving solar cells and their efficiency. The text is now complete with examples of how the appropriate characterization techniques enable the distinction between several potential limitation factors, describing how quantities that have been introduced theoretically in earlier chapters become experimentally accessible.

With exercises after each chapter to reinforce the newly acquired knowledge and requiring no more than standard physics knowledge, this book enables students and professionals to understand the factors driving conversion efficiency and to apply this to their own solar cell development.

1 Problems of the Energy Economy
2 Photons
3 Semiconductors
4 Conversion of Thermal Radiation into Chemical Energy
5 Conversion of Chemical Energy into Electrical Energy
6 Basic Structure of Solar Cells
7 Limitations on Energy Conversion in Solar Cells
8 Concepts for Improving the Efficiency of Solar Cells
9 Characterization of Solar Cells (NEW)
9.1 Spectral Response
9.2 Quasi Steady-State Photoconductance (QSSPC)
9.3 Photoluminescence
9.4 Electroluminescence
9.5 Thermography
9.6 Light Beam Induced Current (LBIC)
9.7 Suns-VOC
9.8 Transient Techniques (Photovoltage Decay, Transient Absorption, Charge Extraction Through Linearily Increasing Voltage, Impedance Spectroscopy)
10 Prospects for the Future

• By (author) Peter Würfel
• By (author) Uli Würfel