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Near-Field Electromagnetic Theory for Thin Solar Cells

A. Niv, M. Gharghi, C. Gladden, O. D. Miller, and X. Zhang
Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 138701 – Published 27 September 2012
Physics logo See Synopsis: Solar Cell Efficiency through Thick and Thin
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Abstract

Current methods for evaluating solar cell efficiencies cannot be applied to low-dimensional structures where phenomena from the realm of near-field optics prevail. We present a theoretical approach to analyze solar cell performance by allowing rigorous electromagnetic calculations of the emission rate using the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Our approach shows the direct quantification of the voltage, current, and efficiency of low-dimensional solar cells. This approach is demonstrated by calculating the voltage and the efficiency of a GaAs slab solar cell for thicknesses from several microns down to a few nanometers. This example highlights the ability of the proposed approach to capture the role of optical near-field effects in solar cell performance.

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  • Received 20 April 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.138701

© 2012 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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Solar Cell Efficiency through Thick and Thin

Published 27 September 2012

Ultrathin solar cells are cost efficient, but new theoretical tools are needed to understand how light interacts with cells thinner than its wavelength.

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Authors & Affiliations

A. Niv1, M. Gharghi1, C. Gladden1, O. D. Miller2,3, and X. Zhang1,3,*

  • 1NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 2Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences Department, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 3Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

  • *To whom all correspondence should be addressed. xiang@berkeley.edu

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Issue

Vol. 109, Iss. 13 — 28 September 2012

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