A new analytical model of the p-i-n structure for a-Si:H solar cell

A novel analytical method has been developed for studying the transport problem in a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) p-i-n solar cell. The model relies on the widely used assumption of a variable minority carrier but, unlike other analytical models, it takes into account both the majority and the minority carriers in the whole structure. Thus, exact boundary conditions can be applied to carriers and currents at the interfaces. Photocarrier generation, too, is analytically treated as a nonhomogeneous term. In order to improve the model, the authors assume hyperbolic expression of the electric field in the intrinsic region. Self-consistent determination of the field profile is obtained, minimizing the error related to the hyperbolic approximation.<>