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# IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics

### Early Access Articles

Early Access articles are made available in advance of the final electronic or print versions. Early Access articles are peer reviewed but may not be fully edited. They are fully citable from the moment they appear in IEEE Xplore.

## Filter Results

Displaying Results 1 - 25 of 29
• ### A Solar Cell Architecture for Enhancing Performance While Reducing Absorber Thickness and Back Contact Requirements

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 6
| | PDF (468 KB)

A top-surface, micron-scale, protrusion array following unique light management design criteria is presented and demonstrated. Modeling results for absorptance A(λ) and short-circuit current density J$_{\mathrm sc}$ along with experimental results for external quantum efficiency and J$_{\mathrm sc}$ all confirm the advantages achie... View full abstract»

• ### Defects in Na-, K-, and Cd-Doped CuInSe$_2$: Canonical Thermodynamics Based on Ab Initio Calculations

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 10
| | PDF (936 KB)

We extend a canonical-thermodynamic method for computing intrinsic point defect concentrations as a function of chemical stoichiometry and temperature to include extrinsic defect contributions, while applying this method to study defects in CuInSe$_2$. This method relies on a large set of defect formation energies calculated from first principles, which require correc... View full abstract»

• ### An Eight-Parameter Adaptive Model for the Single Diode Equivalent Circuit Based on the Photovoltaic Module's Physics

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s): 1
| | PDF (849 KB)

This paper proposes an eight-parameter adaptive electrical model based on the physical behavior of the photovoltaic (PV) module with respect to variations of the environmental conditions. In addition, an accurate parameter estimation technique is proposed for this new model based on the pattern search optimization algorithm. The usual characterization of the I-V curves has five unknown parameters.... View full abstract»

• ### Direct Visualization of Charge-Extraction in Metal-Mesh Based OPV Cells by Light-Biased LBIC

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 8
| | PDF (831 KB)

Metal-mesh based electrode systems are a highly conductive, versatile, and inexpensive alternative to ITO-electrodes for organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. However, they do not offer full surface conductivity and are, therefore, usually combined with an additional conductive layer (e.g. PEDOT:PSS), which enables lateral charge-transport in the area in between the metal tracks. The sheet conductivit... View full abstract»

• ### Development of GaInP Solar Cells Grown by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 6
| | PDF (732 KB)

We demonstrate the growth of homojunction GaInP solar cells by dynamic hydride vapor phase epitaxy for the first time. Simple unpassivated n-on-p structures grown in an inverted configuration with gold back reflectors were analyzed. Short wavelength performance varied strongly with emitter thickness, since collection in the emitter was limited by the lack of surface passivation. Collection in the ... View full abstract»

• ### Nondestructive Probing of Perovskite Silicon Tandem Solar Cells Using Multiwavelength Photoluminescence Mapping

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 6
| | PDF (492 KB) |  Media

In this paper, spatially resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy with various excitation wavelengths is presented as a nondestructive and versatile technique providing access to the individual subcells of multijunction solar cells. This method is demonstrated on a state-of-the-art monolithic tandem solar cell composed of a planar perovskite solar cell and a silicon heterojunction solar cell. ... View full abstract»

• ### Series Arc Fault Identification for Photovoltaic System Based on Time-Domain and Time-Frequency-Domain Analysis

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 10
| | PDF (2498 KB)

This paper aims at providing a reliable algorithm to identify photovoltaic (PV) series arc faults regardless of complex fault-like interferences. Through conducting various arc fault experiments with different PV current levels, arc gap lengths, and load types, PV series arc fault features have been understood comprehensively. To avoid unwanted nuisance tripping, fault-like conditions are analyzed... View full abstract»

• ### CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells Fabricated With CuO as a Buffer Layer in the Back Contact

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 6
| | PDF (507 KB)

The choice of back contact plays a key role in the fabrication of a CdTe thin film solar cell. Material with low electric resistivity, relatively high work function, and thermal stability is needed to form a low barrier contact on a CdTe absorber film. In this work, thin CuO layer was employed as a buffer layer between p-type CdTe and metal electrode. Quantitative band alignment measurement demons... View full abstract»

• ### Correction to “Potassium Fluoride ex-situ Treatment on both Cu-rich and Cu-poor CuInSe$_{2}$ Thin Film Solar Cells”

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s): 1
| | PDF (26 KB)

Presents corrections to the paper, “Potassium ﬂuoride ex situ treatment on both Cu-Rich and Cu-Poor CuInSe2 thin ﬁlm solar cells,” (Elanzeery, H., et al), IEEE J. Photovolt., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 684–689, Mar. 2017. View full abstract»

• ### Evolution of LeTID Defects in p-Type Multicrystalline Silicon During Degradation and Regeneration

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 8
| | PDF (947 KB)

While progress has been made in developing engineering solutions and understanding light- and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LeTID) in p-type multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si), open questions remain regarding the root cause of LeTID. Previously, lifetime spectroscopy of multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) passivated emitter and rear cell semifabricates in the unaffected and the degraded sta... View full abstract»

• ### Application of the Newton–Raphson Method to Lifetime Spectroscopy for Extraction of Defect Parameters

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 6
| | PDF (297 KB)

Defect parameter solution surface is a widely accepted method to determine the values of the energy level and the carrier capture cross sections of a defect from injection-dependent lifetime measurements. Results of the defect parameter solution surface come from the recognition of intersection points, which can be difficult when the doping or the temperature range of the measurement is narrow. In... View full abstract»

• ### Photoluminescence Imaging of Silicon Wafers and Solar Cells With Spatially Inhomogeneous Illumination

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 5
| | PDF (261 KB)

Photoluminescence imaging is a fast and powerful spatially resolved characterization technique, commonly used for silicon wafers and solar cells. In conventional measurements, homogeneous illumination is used across the sample. In this paper, we present a photoluminescence imaging setup that enables inhomogeneous illumination with arbitrary illumination patterns to determine various parameters of ... View full abstract»

• ### Temperature Dependence and Impedance Characteristics of Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Poly(phenylene vinylene): ZnO Nanoparticles With Added Surfactants

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 5
| | PDF (519 KB)

A recent study has shown that the use of a semiconducting surfactant in hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells based on poly[2-methoxy-5-(3′,7′-dimethyloctyloxyl)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] and zinc oxide significantly increases their performance. To further study the mechanism underlying the improved performance resulting from the addition of a semiconducting surfactant, ... View full abstract»

• ### A Data-Driven Evaluation of the Viability of Solar Arrays at Saturn

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 6
| | PDF (364 KB)

Solar arrays are a low-cost, readily available, and highly reliable power source for space exploration, which makes them attractive to multiple NASA mission concepts up to and including the orbit of Saturn (9.5 AU). This paper addresses the viability of currently available solar cell and solar array technologies under extremely low irradiance and low temperature (LILT) conditions. We present groun... View full abstract»

• ### Influence of Indium Content on the Unintentional Background Doping and Device Performance of InGaN/GaN Multiple-Quantum-Well Solar Cells

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 7
| | PDF (344 KB)

We experimentally investigate the influence of indium composition on the photovoltaic performance of InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well (MQW) solar cells. Three MQW structures with different In content are grown via metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, and then fabricated into solar cell devices. The solar cells with lower In content show stronger photovoltaic response, which may be ascrib... View full abstract»

• ### P–N Junction Passivation in Kesterite Solar Cells by Use of Solution-Processed TiO2 Layer

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 6
| | PDF (715 KB)

In this work, we used a solution-processed TiO$_2$ layer between Cu$_2$ZnSnSe$_4$ and CdS buffer layer to reduce the recombination at the p–n junction. Introducing the TiO$_2$ layer showed a positive impact on V$_{OC}$ but fill factor and effi... View full abstract»

• ### Realization of Performance Enhancement in Ternary Polymer Solar Cells by Broad Absorption, Efficient Energy Transfer, and Balanced Charge Carrier Mobility

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 7
| | PDF (505 KB) |  Media

A smart ternary strategy was designed to improve the performance of ternary polymer solar cells (TPSCs) by doping high-mobility conjugated polymer poly{2, 2'-(2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-3,6-dioxo-2,3,5,6-tetrahydropyrrolo[3, 4-c]pyrrole-1, 4-diyl)dithieno[3, 2-b]thiophene-5,5'-diyl-alt-thiophen-2,5-diyl} (PDPPBTT) into the dominating poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy&... View full abstract»

• ### Formation and Orientational Distribution of Cracks Induced by Electromagnetic Induction Soldering in Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 8
| | PDF (854 KB)

Soldering technology has major influence on the performance of crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells in the photovoltaic (PV) module. The mechanism of formation of cracks due to soldering is still highly debatable. In this paper, the formation and orientational distribution of cracks induced by electromagnetic induction soldering were investigated. For this purpose, the numbers of cracked cells a... View full abstract»

• ### Relative External Quantum Efficiency of Crystalline Silicon Wafers From Photoluminescence

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 7
| | PDF (403 KB)

The external quantum efficiency is routinely measured to determine the carrier collection probability of solar cells as a function of illumination wavelength. The common method used to perform these measurements requires a fully metalized device such that the short circuit current can be measured under monochromatic illumination. This paper demonstrates the extraction of relative external quantum ... View full abstract»

• ### Microcrystalline-Silicon Solar Cells With Photonic Crystals on the Top Surface

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 7
| | PDF (772 KB)

We investigate microcrystalline-silicon (μc-Si) solar cells with photonic crystals on the top surface, which exploit the large-area resonant effect in photonic crystals to enhance light absorption, for the first time. Guidelines for designing the surface photonic crystals are discussed, showing the importance of oblique leakage loss suppression. The influence of direct surface etching of th... View full abstract»

• ### Data Challenges in Estimating the Capacity Value of Solar Photovoltaics

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 9
| | PDF (664 KB)

We examine the robustness of solar capacity-value estimates to three important data issues. The first is the sensitivity to using hourly averaged as opposed to subhourly solar-insolation data. The second is the sensitivity to errors in recording and interpreting load data. The third is the sensitivity to using modeled as opposed to measured solar-insolation data. We demonstrate that capacity-value... View full abstract»

• ### Crystalline Silicon Device Loss Analysis Through Spatially Resolved Quantum Efficiency Measurements

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 9
| | PDF (5593 KB)

The development of ultrafast quantum efficiency measurements has made it possible to perform spatially resolved short-circuit current mapping on large area crystalline silicon solar cells. With the inclusion of concurrent diffuse reflectance measurements, detailed loss analysis is presented that identifies the impact and spatial nonuniformity of various current loss mechanisms. We measure p-type m... View full abstract»

• ### Improved Efficiency of Organic Photovoltaic Cells by Incorporation of AuAg-Alloyed Nanoprisms

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 6
| | PDF (458 KB)

We successfully synthesized AuAg-alloyed nanoprisms (AuAgNPrisms) through the seed mediated and galvanic replacement approaches. By introducing the synthesized AuAgNPrisms at the buffer/active interface with an optimal concentration, we increased the power conversion efficiency of PTB7:PC$_{70}$BM-based organic photovoltaic cells from 6.58% to 7.11... View full abstract»

• ### Organic Solar Cells: Extraction of Physical Parameters by Means of Markov Chain Monte Carlo Techniques

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 7
| | PDF (707 KB) |  Media

This paper presents an alternative approach to obtain, from experimental measurements, physical parameters of organic solar cells> associated with a given model. In order to get rid of the limitations of common fitting methods, we use a specific Markov chain Monte Carlo technique. This method is applied to a two-dimensional model of an organic solar cell. Measurements carried out under dark... View full abstract»

• ### Novel Sugar Apple-Shaped SnO2 Microspheres With Light Scattering Effect in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Application

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 8
| | PDF (938 KB)

Novel sugar apple-shaped SnO$_{2}$ microspheres with no additives were prepared by facile hydrothermal method and morphological modification was achieved by adding urea as an additive agent at 160 °C. Photoanode materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Raman analysis, Fourier tr... View full abstract»