FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS

PHOTODIODES AND PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES

Exercise 1 - Responsivity of a pin photodiode

A Si photodiode has an active receiving area of 0.4 mm diameter. An incident radiation of wavelength 700
nm and intensity 0.1 mW cm-2 generates a photocurrent of 56.6 nA.
What is the responsivity and EQE of the photodiode at 700nm?

Solutions

Incident power = P0 = A*I = π (0.02cm)2 (10-3 W cm-2) = 0.126 uW

I ph 56.6nA
Responsivity is R = = = 0.45 AW -1
P0 1.26 × 10-7 W

hc (6.62 × 10-34 Js)(3 ×108 ms -1 )

External quantum efficiency h = R = (0.45 AW -1 ) = 0.8 = 80%
el (1.6 × 10-19 C )(700nm)

Exercise 2 - A solar cell driving a resistive load

Consider a solar cell driving a 30 Ω resistive load. Suppose that the cell has an area of 1cm x 1cm, is
illuminated with a light intensity 600 W m-2 , and has the I-V characteristics shown below.

a) What are the current and voltage in the circuit?

b) What is the power delivered to the load?
c) What is the efficiency of the solar cell in this circuit?

Solutions

a) The I-V characteristic of the load is I= - V/R = - V/30Ω

It cuts the I-V characteristics of the solar cell at I' = 14.2 mA and V' =0.425V which are the current
and voltage in the photovoltaic circuit.

b) The power delivered to the load is Pout = I'V' = (14.2*10-3)(0.425V) = 6.035 mW

1
 c) The input sun-light power is Pin= light intensity * Surface Area = 600 W m-2 * (0.01 m)2 = 0.060 W

Pout
The efficiency is h = 100 = 10.06%
Pin

Exercise 3 - Solar energy conversion

Suppose that a particular family house, in a sunny geographic location, over a year consumes a daily
average electrical power of 500W. If the annual average incident solar intensity per day is about 6 kW h m-2
and a photovoltaic device that converts solar energy to electrical energy has an efficiency of 15%, what is
the required device area?

Solutions

Total energy available for 1 day = incident solar energy in 1 day per unit area * area * efficiency

This total energy must equal the average energy consumed per house in 1 day:

Area = Energy per house/(Incident solar energy per unit area * efficiency)

s min
500W × 60 60 24hrs
A= min hr = 13.3m2
3 -2 -1 s min
(6 ×10 W × hr × m day )(60 60 ) × 0.15
min h

Or a panel 3.6 x 3.6 m.