All Questions
Tagged with semiconductor-physics solar-cells
67
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How do solar cells really work?
When I read articles on the workings of photovoltaics, the explanation tends to revolve around the idea of PN-junctions, and how an electric field separates charges (electrons and holes). In a Quora ...
- 25
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Doping density dependence on effective density of states Si pn junction
I would like to know how the doping density influences the effective density of states in a pn junction. For example the classic relations used to determine this is
$$N_c = 2\left(\frac{2\pi m_n^* k_B ...
- 71
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Net electric field inside a photovoltaic cell under load
In a photovoltaic cell is basically a pn-junction where free electrons are created by a photoelectric effect.
Now I am interested to understand the electric field inside the depletion layer for ...
- 1,702
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How does photovoltaic effect work?
If I understand it correctly, due to diffusion and something like a concentration gradient, a gate layer is formed at the PN junction (at P there is more space=holes, at N there are a lot of packed ...
- 11
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What is the major challenge in building a hybrid solar panel that uses both PE and PV effects?
In the current times, I see that most solar panels work fully on 'photo voltaic' effect (visible light -> semiconductor). The manufacturers even ensure to block UV as much as possible to increase ...
- 237
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Why did PV cell manufacturing move away from having all of the contacts in the lower end of a PV cell?
In modern day PV cells you usually have a silver-based grid on the upper end of the cell where it's exposed to the sun creating the optimization game of how thin/thick you can make your busbars and ...
1
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1
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52
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Infrared solar pannels and thermodynamics
I was wondering if we could use background radiation to produce electricity (even a tiny amount). However, I've read somewhere that solar panels absorbing infrared (and lower frequencies photons) ...
- 213
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2
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2k
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Difference between photodiodes and avalanche photodiodes
I'd say I'm quite aware of how avalanche photodiodes work but I'm unsure of how usual photodiodes work respectively how they differ from each other.
Let's bring it down to: APDs are able to detect ...
- 1,507
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On a PV cell, why do electrons travel through the copper rather than through the PN junction?
thank you all for reading me!
I am currently reviewing the structure and working principles of a PV cell. I think I understand the following steps about how the PN junction is formed and what happens ...
2
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82
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Shockley-Queisser limit calculations
I am working through the paper, Detailed Balance Limit of Efficiency of p-n Junction Solar Cells by Shockley & Queisser, for my own research with perovskite solar cells.
I am able to follow their ...
- 81
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148
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Where is the excess energy going to when a solar inverter is operating a photovoltaic (PV) panel away from the maximum power point (MPP)?
The MPP is the maximum power point of a solar panel and a PV inverter will typically try to find this MPP to yield the maximum energy ouput.
But sometimes it might be neccessary to operate the panel ...
- 187
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What happens to the Fermi level of a metal/semiconductor under bias?
When a metal/semiconductor junction is placed under bias, the Fermi level of the semiconductor shifts horizontally up or down increasing or decreasing the potential barrier. I was wondering if this is ...
0
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58
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Why are polycrystalline solar cells shinier than monocrystalline solar cells?
Being shiny reduces the efficiency of the solar cells. Additional to the grain boundaries that polycrystalline solar cells have that gives resistance to the current flowing in them, they are shinier ...
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4
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1k
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Is silicon a semiconductor or insulator?
I have read that pure crystalline silicon is an insulator because it has a such covalent bond that very tight and no free electrons available for conduction bands. They all are bonded with other ...
2
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1
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Why is exciton diffusion a problem in organic photovoltaics and not in inorganic photovoltaics?
On page 2 of this paper: "When the incident photon hits electrons at the ground state, inorganic semiconductors generate free carriers. However, in organic semiconductors, excited
electrons ...
