Abstract
Understanding the performance limiting aspects of a solar cell is challenging yet necessary. In the first part of the talk I will provide a unified equation for predicting the open-circuit voltage of solar cells by accounting for multiple recombination channels using a single equation. The equation thus derived allows for evaluating recombination in different regions of a solar cell through light intensity and temperature dependence of the open-circuit voltage.
In the second part of the talk I will discuss the device physics and efficiency limits of rectenna solar cells. Rectennas have an inherently different rectifying mechanism as compared to semiconductor solar cells as they comprise of an antenna connected to an ultra-high frequency diode. Nevertheless, their broadband efficiency limit in the quantum regime agrees with the ultimate efficiency limit for conventional single-junction solar cells.
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Brief Bio
Sachit Grover is Device Physicist at First Solar working on physics and characterization of CdTe materials and solar cells. In 2014 he was Senior Device Scientist at Scifiniti, Inc. where he researched on improving low-cost kerfless-silicon substrates for solar cells. He previously worked as Postdoctoral Researcher with the Silicon Group at NREL where he investigated the material properties of epitaxial silicon grown by hot-wire CVD. He pioneered a unique approach for analyzing recombination in heterojunction solar cells. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from University of Colorado Boulder for his work on rectennas, and received a B.Eng. in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
