Shining Light on Solar Cells - Chapter 8.0: Thin Film Solar Cells

You've made it! You've finally completed the beginner's section of the video series. Now, we are progressing into the more advanced portion of the video series. The first chapter of this section focuses on thin-film solar cells, also known as the 2nd generation solar cells.

Thin-film solar cells are only about a few microns thick, almost 100 times thinner than wafer type c-Si cells. This allows the option to be flexible, have lower material costs, and be more versatile in terms of integration. Due to the thinness of these solar cells, there are a few differences in terms of their physics that distinguishes them from c-Si cells:

• Higher absorption coefficient
• Full of defects, low minority carrier lifetime
• Voltage-dependent current

Further reference materials that I highly recommend:

Luque, A. and Hegedus, S. (2003). Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 978-0-471-49196-5.

Other parts in this series:

• Chapter 1.0: Introduction
• Chapter 2.0: Semiconductor Physics (Band Diagram, Free Carriers)
  • Chapter 2.1: Semiconductor Physics (Doping)
  • Chapter 2.2: Semiconductor Physics (Fermi-Energy Level)
• Chapter 3.0: PN Junction diode (Drift and Diffusion)
  • Chapter 3.1: PN Junction diode (Forward & Reverse Bias, IV Curve)
• Chapter 4.0: Photons
• Chapter 5.0: How do Solar Cells Work? (Working Principle, IV Curve, Photovoltaic Parameters, Solar Cell Datasheet)
  • Chapter 5.1: How do Solar Cells Work? (Typical Structure, Shockley-Queisser Limit)
• Chapter 6.0: How are solar panels made? (From quartz to silicon wafers)
  • Chapter 6.1: How are solar panels made? (From silicon wafers to solar panels)
• Chapter 7.0: PV Systems and Costing 101