Intensity Dependent Transient Response of Amorphous Photodiode and Solar Cell

Abstract

The study of amorphous semiconductors is of great interest because they find important applications in many electronic devices, like large area solar cells and photosensors. We have developed a methodology for the analysis of transient response of amorphous photodiodes when switched off from steady-state and when they are exposed to a δ pulse of light. For this purpose continuity equations and the transit time effect have been calculated. For the p-i-n photodiodes, characteristics of photo current decay have been analyzed for an ideal case in which the diode is assumed to have a unit current gain. It is found that characteristics either due to decay from steady-state or due to light pulse excitation is transit time dominated. The short-circuit performance of solar cells resembles to a p-i-n diode because a solar cell is essentially a p-i-n diode which is used as an energy converter. Thus short circuit current decay of solar cells behaves similar to the photocurrent decay of the diode and the same method of analysis can be applied.