Application of a New Ray Tracing Framework to the Analysis of Extended Regions in Si Solar Cell Modules

Abstract

While ray tracing of solar cells was established decades ago, ray tracing of entire modules has met obstacles, mainly because module optics are affected by geometric structures varying over a large scale of dimensions. In this paper, we introduce a ray tracing framework that is based on a modular structure made up of separate plugins. While existing plugins can be used for common effects such as light sources, absorption in materials, etc., specialized plug-ins can be written by users to handle problem-specific properties. We demonstrate the functionality of our approach by ray tracing a test module containing 9 crystalline Si solar cells. Good agreement between light-beam induced current (LBIC) measurements and ray tracing is achieved.

UV-induced degradation of PERC solar modules with UV-transparent encapsulation materials

“…The optical parameters for the other module materials are accessible in Reference . With the optical data, we employ our ray tracer Daidalos to simulate a complete module with an EVA UV,t and an EVA UV,a polymer, respectively. We determine the number of photons N ( λ ) for both modules that reach the Si interface for the various SiN coatings.…”

UV radiation hardness of photovoltaic modules featuring crystalline Si solar cells with AlOx/p+‐type Si and SiNy/n+‐type Si interfaces

“…First, we simulate the carrier generation profiles employing our ray tracer Daidalos including all optical effects of the glass, the EVA, the SiN, and the front metal fingers . We extract the optical constants of the SiN from the VASE measurements.…”

High Temperature Annealing of ZnO:Al on Passivating POLO Junctions: Impact on Transparency, Conductivity, Junction Passivation, and Interface Stability

“…The absorption spectrum of the as deposited ZnO:Al film shows a peak around 600 nm which is typical for ZnO:Al layers sputtered close to room temperature and caused by oxygen vacancies or zinc interstitials. [27,28] The absorption coefficient of the ZnO:Al annealed at 400 °C and 600 °C decreases significantly in the wavelength range below 600 nm which is extremely important for good optical properties at the front contact junction of a solar cell.…”