Solar Cell Simulation Best Practices

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Solar Cells: Learn how to simulate and optimize your solar cell designs using Lumerical’s electro-optical design tools.

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DESCRIPTION:

This Video will demonstrate the workflow for complete electrical and optical simulation of photovoltaic devices using Lumerical’s DEVICE and FDTD Solutions TCAD design tools. We’ll show you how to use FDTD Solutions to characterize the optical aspects of solar cells including devices that exploit plasmonic enhancement effects or 3D structured surface patterning. We’ll further show you how to apply the results of the optical model to a full electro-optical characterization in DEVICE. The result will be a comprehensive model of the photovoltaic device performance from the incident light all the way through to the electric power produced. There will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions about their own devices and simulation requirements.

OUTLINE:

Review of the efficiency problem in solar cells
- Possible solutions, including micro-scale device patterning
- Effects of micro-scale patterning and how they can be simulated
- Key parameters for characterizing a photovoltaic
  - Energy conversion efficiency
  - Maximum power point
  - Fill factor

Workflow overview

Optical simulation using FDTD Solutions
- Simulation considerations
  - Unpolarized light
  - Boundary conditions
  - Dispersive material models
  - Controlling the mesh and conformal mesh settings
  - Broadband simulation considerations
  - Reducing the number of simulation using symmetry consideration
- Simulation results: extracting a generation rate profile
- Example applications
  - Plasmonic solar cells
  - Structured surface solar
Electro-optical simulation using DEVICE
- Simulation considerations
  - Process parameters
  - Material models
  - Electrical contacts
  - Simulation region and boundary conditions
- Including the optically induced carrier generation
  - Planar devices
  - Patterned device
- Model Results
  - Energy conversion efficiency
  - Maximum power point
  - Fill Factor
Questions and Answers

Solar Cell Simulation Video

Learn how to simulate the optical and electrical properties of your solar cells with FDTD Solutions and DEVICE

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