Characterization of Luminescent Down-Shifting Spectral Conversion Effects on Silicon Solar Cells with Various Combinations of Eu-Doped Phosphors

Luminescent down-shifting (LDS) spectral conversion is a feasible approach to enhancing the short-wavelength response of single junction solar cells. This paper presents the optical and electrical characteristics of LDS spectral conversion layers containing a single species or two species of Eu-doped phosphors applied to the front surface of silicon solar cells via spin-on coating. The chemical composition, surface morphology, and fluorescence emission of the LDS layers were respectively characterized using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, optical imaging, and photoluminescence measurements. We also examined the LDS effects of various phosphors on silicon solar cells in terms of optical reflectance and external quantum efficiency. Finally, we examined the LDS effects of the phosphors on photovoltaic performance by measuring photovoltaic current density–voltage characteristics using an air-mass 1.5 global solar simulator. Compared to the control cell, the application of a single phosphor enhanced efficiency by 17.39% (from 11.14% to 13.07%), whereas the application of two different phosphors enhanced efficiency by 31.63% (from 11.14% to 14.66%).

Numerical Investigation into Photovoltaic Performance of Organolead Trihalide Perovskite Quantum Dot Intermediate Band Solar Cell

In this work, an intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) model consisting of MAPbI3 quantum dots (QD) and MAPbCl3 barrier material is explored analytically with MATLAB. Titanium di-oxide (TiO2) is used as transport layer for electron and Spiro-OMeTAD (2,2',7,7'-tet-rakis (N,N'-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)–9,9' spirobifluorene) is used as transport layer for hole. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and Silver (Ag) is used as top and bottom contact. The impact of QD size and dot spacing on the key parameters of MAPbI3 QD-IBSC is illustrated throughout this paper. In order to identify the number of IB in a single regime, Schrödinger equation is solved as a function of host energy gap using Kronig–Penney model. The detailed balance limit assumptions with unity fill factor are applied to extract highest efficiency from the system. For any case, face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure is assumed. The (100) crystal orientation is considered as charge carriers from n–region to p–region transport in this orientation. Major performance indicators of the device such as photocurrent intensity Jsc, open circuit voltage Voc and power conversion efficiency η have been delineated. Highest efficiency of 63% is attained for dot size of 4 nm and dot spacing of 1.5 nm.

Fabrication toward Stable Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiency over 20% under Open Air via In-situ Polymerized Bi-functional Additive

Essentially, detrimental defects distributed at perovskite surface and grain boundaries (GBs) directly impede the further enhancement of both the photovoltaic performance and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein,...

Enhancing organic photovoltaic performance with 3D-transport dual nonfullerene acceptors

We used dual nonfullerene acceptors Y6:FINIC with 3D charge transport features and polymer donor PM6 to fabricate sequential-process heterojunction (SHJ) and bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs). FINIC has...

Molecular Engineering of Ruthenium-based Photosensitizers with Superior Photovoltaic Performance in DSSC: Novel N-Alkyl 2-Phenylindole-based Ancillary Ligands

In this work, we report the design and successful synthesis of two new heteroleptic polypyridyl Ru(II) complexes (SD-5 and SD-6), by incorporating hetero-aromatic electron-donating N-alkyl-2-phenylindole moieties into the ancillary ligand....

Comparing the microstructure and photovoltaic performance of 3 perylene imide acceptors with similar energy levels but different packing tendencies

While it is widely recognized that microstructure plays an important role in the performance of organic photovoltaics (OPV), systematic studies are often challenging, as varying the molecular packing through typical...