Physics and Technology of Advanced Solar Cells Abstract

The Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit establishes an upper bound to the conversion efficiency of a single junction solar cell. In this talk, the various approaches to overcome the SQ limit will be discussed. Multiple junction solar cells, multi-exciton solar cells, intermediate gap solar cells, and photon up and down conversion to increase efficiency beyond the SQ limit will also be addressed. Multi-junction approaches have succeeded in producing highly efficient III-V solar cells.

In addition, Prof. Dalal will discuss thin film solar cells. These cells, which use polycrystalline, amorphous or organic materials with inferior electronic properties, are now beginning to be widely used for both large scale utility power and for building-integrated and isolated products. Prof. Dalal will address the special physical considerations needed to make efficient solar cells out of these materials, including new schemes for enhancing optical absorption and discuss the status of various technologies.