Thesis
Quantifying recombination in CdTe photovoltaics using numerical simulation of transient spectroscopy data
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Jun 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001285
Abstract
Traditional and thin film photovoltaics are at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution. Investigating how recombination in the device affects its carrier dynamics and ultimately its performance is essential to optimizing the solar cell design. In this work, a one-dimensional numerical COMSOL model is proposed to simulate CdTe solar cells. The relevant physics and mathematical formulas implemented in the model are discussed in detail. The results from the model closely align with the theoretical understanding of semiconductor physics and concur with results from SCAPS, a more well-known, established software. Experimental time-resolved photoluminescence and time-resolved terahertz spectroscopic signals from CdTe photovoltaics were fit with the simulated signal decays to estimate the bulk lifetimes and surface recombination velocities. The fitting provides a better approximation for the recombination parameters than traditional biexponential models and enables the comparison of different processing approaches and their effects on the CdTe samples. To simplify the process of creating the model, an application was designed to automatically define the rigorous mathematical expressions for different photovoltaic architectures, allowing more users to run simulations. The model will serve as a useful predictive tool for evaluating material properties of thin film photovoltaics at laboratory scale and, potentially, industrial scale. The tool also has great potential to assist research and development effort in understanding how changes to processing materials and design influence recombination.
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Details
- Title
- Quantifying recombination in CdTe photovoltaics using numerical simulation of transient spectroscopy data
- Creators
- Triet Minh Truong
- Contributors
- Jason B. Baxter (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- 46 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Materials (Science and) Engineering (Metallurgical Engineering) (1970-2026); College of Engineering (1970-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991018527101804721