Photovoltaics

Owner	Master Physics and Astronomy (joint degree)
Coordinator	Peter Schall
Part of	Master Physics and Astronomy, track Advanced Matter and Energy Physics, Master Physics and Astronomy, track Science for Energy and Sustainability, Master Chemistry (joint degree), track Science for Energy and Sustainability, Master Physics and Astronomy (joint degree), track General Physics and Astronomy,

Course manual 2024/2025

Course content

Photovoltaic conversion brings the promise of sustainable energy generation capable of meeting the ever-growing energy demand. This explains the current interest and is best illustrated by the massive deployment of solar panels in solar farms and integrated systems in countries worldwide. This lecture course introduces the most important concepts from solid-state physics and (nano)technology which form scientific foundations of photovoltaics (PV), giving a starting point for understanding of its principles, prospects, as well as limitations and bottlenecks. The lectures are given by group leaders working at UvA, AMOLF and ECN, and next to the basics of operation and application will provide also a comprehensive overview of current activities at the forefront of the research in the field of modern (nano)photovoltaics.

After a short resume on light-matter interactions and semiconductor physics, the following topics will be addressed in some detail:

• Working principle of solar cells (Albert Polman)
• Beyond the detailed balance limit: nanohybrid and 3D solar cells (Esther Alarcon Llado)
• Characterization techniques in photovoltaics (Sander Mann)
• Nanocrystals: solar shapers and assembly for PV (Peter Schall)
• Nanophotonic concepts for PV (Jorik van de Groep)

The 4 hour classes will consist of three parts: lecture (2 hours), student presentations (1 hour), and tutorial/problem class (1 hour, in which homework assignments will be initiated and actual research by PhD and Master students will be presented). For those interested, the course can provide an ideal gateway to a research project for the last year of the MSc track. 

The course content is as follows:

Working principle of solar cells

• Light absorption in semiconductors – Fermi’s golden rule, DOS, band structure
• Optical losses – parasitic absorption, reflection, emission
• Meaning/origin of Voc – quasi Fermi level splitting, radiative limit, non-idealities
• Origin Jsc – material absorption coefficient, overlap with solar spectrum
• Meaning/origin of FF – thermodynamic formulation, non-idealities
• The thermodynamic detailed balance limit – integrating solar spectrum, VOC with PV as blackbody
• Basics of carrier collection

PV in practice: PV cells, modules and systems

• Silicon (sc, mc, a-Si), CIGS, CdTe, GaAs, InP, InGaP, CuZnSnS, DSSC, OPV, QDSCs, perovskite, 2D semiconductors – Why do we (not) work on them?
• Device structures and fabrication methods of Crystalline silicon – doping process and profiles, emitter resistivity, relating doping level to resistivity, n vs. p base, difference between standard, MWT, IBC, HIT cells, contact formation, passivation schemes, AR coatings
• From cell to module – interconnection schemes/processes, encapsulation, bypass diodes
• From module and system – system designs, energy yield: effects of efficiency variations (temperature, intensity, spectrum), and of partial shading, resistances, dc/ac conversion, as well as tracking.
• Resistive losses – I2R power dissipation, consequences for solar cell design
• J-V curves – how to collect them, what changes them (diode equation, non-idealities)
• Jsc, Voc, FF and efficiency in practice

Beyond the detailed balance limit: nanohybrid and 3D solar cells

• Carrier collection – selective contacting schemes (doping, heterojunction, tunnel/MIS)
• Concentrator PV – voltage/efficiency vs. conc., concentration schemes, cooling needs
• Directionality – directional scattering/emission, effect on Voc and concentration
• PV limits under upconversion and downconversion: MEG, singlet fission, photon upconversion
• Multijunction PV – epitaxial growth, current matching, tunnel junctions
• Optical resonances – large cross section/concentration, size/shape effect, plasmon/Mie modes
• Periodic nanostructures – gratings, coupling to waveguide modes

Characterization techniques in Photovoltaics

• EQE – how to measure, what does it mean, why there is spectral effect
• Solar simulators – calibration via reference diodes, spectral mismatch correction
• Comparing Jsc from EQE integration with Jsc from J-V curve
• IQE measurements – what they mean, what the spectral dependence tells you
• Carrier diffusion length – how it is measured/calculated, relation to lifetime
• Electroluminescence – how it is collected, what it tells you, reciprocity PV/LED
• Surface recombination velocity – evaluation, measurement, reduction
• Material composition/crystallinity – XRD, SAED, TEM, EDS, SIMS, AES, XPS, XRF

Nanocrystals: solar shapers and assembly for PV

• PL – how it is collected, what it tells you, efficiency, lifetime
• Absorption and reflection measurements and simulations (optical modelling)– how they are done (integrating sphere)
• Time-resolved techniques – transient absorption, photovoltage and photocurrent decay
• Carrier lifetime measurements – methods, typical values
• Band gap determination – absorption (Tauc plot) vs. PL vs. EQE cut-off
• Semiconductor nanocrystals – optical properties, assembly, photophysics
• Multiple exciton generation – explanation improved yield in nanoscale systems
• Auger recombination
• Quantum cutting/pasting – comparison with Auger effects, phonon bottleneck

Nanophotonic concepts for PV

• Nanomaterials as TCO alternative – metal nanowires, CNT, graphene
• Light trapping – periodic vs. disordered, exceeding 4n2 in wave regime, wave guide modes, resonant light scattering
• Nanoscale AR coatings – graded index, impedance matching, resonant in-coupling

 

Study materials

Literature

• The book “Solar Energy: the Physics and Engineering of Photovoltaic Conversion Technologies and Systems” by Arno Smets, Klaus Jäger, Olindo Isabella, René van Swaaij and Miro Zeman (2016) will be made available as pdf.

Other

• Lecture notes.
• Original research articles.

Objectives

• Be able to describe how the photovoltaic cell works and understand the physic processes determining its spectral response, internal and external efficiency and limitations.
• Be able to show and explain the limiting factors and bottleneck of photovoltaics.
• Be aware of (some) of the prominent research avenues towards highly efficient (nano)photovoltaics of next generation.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Presentation/symposium
• homework assignments
• Computer lab session/practical training

Lectures and moderated discussions by teachers, presentations by students, homework assignments.

Learning activities

Attendance

Requirements concerning attendance (OER-B).

In addition to, or instead of, classes in the form of lectures, the elements of the master’s examination programme often include a practical component as defined in article A-1.2 of part A. The course catalogue contains information on the types of classes in each part of the programme. Attendance during practical components is mandatory.

Assessment

Item and weight	Details
Final grade
1 (100%) Tentamen

The course will be assessed on the basis of weekly assignments (5), a presentation (1 per student pair), and the final exam: participation in all the three component is obligatory.

Homework assignments will be given once a week – a single assignment per lecturer, five in total (no assignment in the first week). They will have to be delivered individually within a week. Teaching assistants (TA, one TA per lecturer/assignment) will be available for on-line consultations all the time and students are encouraged to make use of that. After delivery, your homework will be checked and graded by TA’s. The individual grades will appear on the Canvas site of the course; feedback will be provided by TA’s on-line and upon request.

Materials for students’ presentations will be assigned after the first lecture and the relevant material will be placed on the Canvas site. Every student  will be asked to prepare a 15-20 min presentation in pairs of two students, followed by ~5min of questions. All students are expected to familiarize him/her-self with the article to be presented during a particular lecture, prepare at least one question, and take active part in the discussion. Presentations will be graded on (i) introduction/context, (ii) content (iii) style/format, and (iv)questions/discussion. Feedback for the presenters will be provided.

The final grade will be determined as an average of the graded assignments (5), the presentation (1), and the examination – weighted as:

final grade = average assignment grade × 40% + presentation grade × 10% + exam grade × 50%.

In order to successfully complete the course, all the assignments need to be handed in and a presentation has to be given.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Additional information

Recommended prior knowledge:

Some knowledge of Quantum physics, Statistical physics, Solid-state physics is recommended.
Also programming knowledge in Python or Mathematica is needed to solve the assignments, but a Python tutorial will be provided in the course.

Contact information

Coordinator

• Peter Schall

·         Peter Schall

address: WZI, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam room: C.4.228

telephone: 020-5256314

e-mail: p.schall@uva.nl 

·         Albert Polman

address: AMOLF, Science Park 104 , 1098 XG Amsterdam room: AMOLF 2.48

telephone: 020-7547100

e-mail: a.polman@amolf.nl

·         Esther Alarcon Llado

address: AMOLF, Science Park 104 , 1098 XG Amsterdam room: AMOLF

telephone: 020-7547320

e-mail: E.Alarconllado@amolf.nl

 

·         Sander Mann

address: WZI, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam room:

e-mail: s.mann@uva.nl

 

         Jorik van de Groep

address: WZI, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, room: 

telephone: 020-5255643

e-mail: j.vandegroep@uva.nl 

Teaching assistants:

Robin Schot (R.Schot@amolf.nl)   (responsible also for the entire course)

Marcel Kouwenhoven (M.Kouwenhoven@amolf.nl) (AP part)

Ina Flaucher (I.J.Flaucher@uva.nl)                                   (PS part)

Eva Almeida (e.j.m.almeida@uva.nl)                               (JvdG part)

 

Consultations

Consultations are possible directly after the lectures, on appointment, and on-line (recommended).