Solar Photovoltaics: Principles, Technologies, and Materials

Week 6: First Generation Solar Cells

(Assignment 6 Solution)

1. The shunt resistance in the solar cells can be increased by:

a. Increasing the bandgap
b. Increasing the dark saturation current
c. Reducing the defect density in the device
d. Reducing the non-radiative recombination
e. Increasing the defect density in the device

2. Which of the following is/are applicable for improving the efficiency of single junction silicon solar
cells?
a. Base should be n-type and thicker as compared to the emitter.
b. Base should be p-type and thicker as compared to the emitter.
c. Emitter should be p-type and thicker as compared to the base.
d. Emitter should be n-type and very thin as compared to the base.
e. Base should be p-type and very thin as compared to the emitter.

3. The light coupling in a top-illuminated solar cell can be enhanced by:

a. Using antireflection coatings
b. Making the bottom layer thick
c. Using deeply buried contacts
d. Making the top layer thin
e. Texturing the front surface

4. Which of the following affect(s) the external quantum efficiency of solar cells?
a. Incident power density of radiation
b. Collection of charge carriers
c. Band wavelength of irradiation
d. Thickness of the electrodes
e. Absorption coefficient of the material

5. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct for polycrystalline silicon when compared to
single-crystal silicon?
a. Smaller carrier diffusion length
 b. Better compositional control
c. Lower defect density
d. Higher defect density
e. Very low light absorption

6. The correct sequence for the generation of electricity in solar cells is:
a. Absorption → creation of exciton → exciton dissociation → diffusion of charge
carriers to electrodes → collection of charge carriers
b. Absorption → diffusion of the exciton to electrodes → collection of charge carriers
c. Absorption → exciton dissociation → diffusion of charge carriers to electrodes → collection
of charge carriers
d. Absorption → creation of exciton → diffusion of charge carriers to electrodes → collection
of charge carriers
e. Absorption → creation of exciton → exciton dissociation → collection of charge carriers

7. The approximate thickness (in microns) of the absorber layer in monocrystalline silicon solar cells
is:
a. 3000
b. 0.5
c. 300
d. 50
e. 1200

8. The use of a high bandgap semiconductor in a photovoltaic device will give rise to:
a. Small photocurrent
b. Large fill factor
c. High open circuit voltage
d. Low series resistance

9. Which of the following is/are favorable for efficient silicon solar cells?
a. Large built-in electric field
b. Heavily doped base and heavily doped emitter
c. Large diffusion length of minority charge carriers
d. Higher optical depth for radiation energy below the bandgap of the material
10. A solar cell delivers a short circuit current of 3.5 A under AM 1.5 illumination. The reverse saturation
current is 10-10 A. The open circuit voltage (in volts) at 300 K, neglecting any internal resistance in
the cell, would be: (Boltzmann constant kB = 1.38 × 10-23 J/K, electronic charge e = 1.6 × 10-19 C)
a. 0.631
b. 0.846
c. 0.325
d. 0.526
e. 0.701
𝒌𝑻 𝑰𝒔𝒄
Solution: 𝑽𝒐𝒄 = 𝒍𝒏 ( + 𝟏)
𝒒 𝑰𝒐

3.5
𝑉𝑜𝑐 = 0.026 ∗ 𝑙𝑛 ( −10 + 1) = 0.026 ∗ 24.278 = 𝟎. 𝟔𝟑𝟏 𝑽
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11. Which of the following is/are correct for an ideal I-V curve for a solar photovoltaic device? (Here, V
is the applied bias, J is the current density, Voc is the open circuit voltage and Vmax is the maximum
voltage from the device)
𝒅(𝑱(𝑽)) −𝟏
a. ( ) = 𝟎
𝒅𝑽 𝑽=𝑽𝒐𝒄

𝑑(𝐽(𝑉)) −1
b. ( ) = ∞
𝑑𝑉 𝑉=𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥

𝑑(𝐽(𝑉)) −1
c. ( ) = 0
𝑑𝑉 𝑉=𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥

𝒅(𝑱(𝑽)) −𝟏
d. ( ) = ∞
𝒅𝑽 𝑽=𝟎

12. Which of the following strategy(ies) is/are adopted to improve the current collection from the top
electrode of silicon solar cells?
a. Heavy doping near contacts
b. Light doping near contacts
c. Use of SiO2 layer on Si
d. Deeply buried contacts
e. Use of antireflection coating

13. Which of the following method is adopted to reduce surface recombination in silicon solar cells?
a. Use of antireflection coatings
b. Surface passivation
c. Textured front surface of the cell
 d. Heavily doped front surface of the cell

14. Silicon nitride (SiNx) coating on the emitter in polycrystalline silicon solar cells is done to:
a. Reduce the charge carrier recombination
b. Absorb light and give rise to electron-hole pairs
c. Reduce surface recombination
d. Reduce the defect density in the absorber layer
e. Reduce the reflection losses

15. Typical absorber layer of a c-Si solar cell absorbs 36 % of the light with wavelength λ = 1100 nm
incident from the AM1.5 illumination. Assuming that the absorption coefficient for infrared light is α
(1100 nm) = 10 cm-1, the approximate thickness (in µm) of the absorber layer is:
a. 296
b. 446
c. 356
d. 495
e. 396
Solution: 𝑰(𝒕) = 𝑰𝟎 [𝟏 − 𝐞𝐱𝐩 (−𝜶𝒕)]
𝐼 36
𝑒𝑥𝑝 (−𝛼𝑡) = 1 − =1− = 0.64
𝐼0 100

−𝛼𝑡 = ln(0.64) = −0.446

0.446
𝒕= = 0.0446 𝑐𝑚 = 𝟒𝟒𝟔 𝝁𝒎
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