Investigation of the double exponential in the current-voltage characteristics of silicon solar cellsA theoretical analysis is presented of certain peculiarities of the current-voltage characteristics of silicon solar cells, involving high values of the empirical constant A in the diode equation for a p-n junction. An attempt was made in a lab experiment to demonstrate that the saturation current which is associated with the exponential term qV/A2kT of the I-V characteristic, with A2 roughly equal to 2, originates in the space charge region and that it can be increased, as observed on ATS-1 cells, by the introduction of additional defects through low energy proton irradiation. It was shown that the proton irradiation introduces defects into the space charge region which give rise to a recombination current from this region, although the I-V characteristic is, in this case, dominated by an exponential term which has A = 1.
Document ID
19780027001
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Wolf, M. (Pennsylvania Univ. Philadelphia, PA, United States)
Noel, G. T. (Pennsylvania University Philadelphia, Pa., United States)
Stirn, R. J. (California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena Calif., United States)