| Summary: | In this thesis, the performance of both planar and radial pn junction based photovoltaic
solar cells are examined for a broad range of materials. The materials
considered include silicon, gallium arsenide, germaniun, indium nitride, and gallium
nitride. The photovoltaic solar cell performance model of Kayes et al. [B.M.
Kayes, H.A. Atwater, and N.S. Lewis, Journal of Applied Physics, volume 97, pp.
14302-1-11, 2005], is employed for the purposes of this analysis. Three solar cell
performance metrics, evaluated using the et al., model are considered in this analysis:
(1) the short-circuit current density, (2) the open-circuit voltage, and (3) the
efficiency. The results suggest that while planar pn junction based photovoltaic solar
cells are sensitive to trapping concentration levels, the radial pn junction based
photovoltaic solar cells are relatively insensitive to trapping concentrations. This
suggests that in certain cases, such as when there are materials with high concentration
of traps, radial pn junction based photovoltaic solar cell offer inherent
advantages over their planar counterparts.
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