Charged grain boundaries reduce the open circuit voltage of polycrystalline solar cells--An analytical description

Abstract

Analytic expressions are presented for the dark current-voltage relation $J(V)$ of a $pn^+$ junction with positively charged columnar grain boundaries with high defect density. These expressions apply to non-depleted grains with sufficiently high bulk hole mobilities. The accuracy of the formulas is verified by direct comparison to numerical simulations. Numerical simulations further show that the dark $J(V)$ can be used to determine the open circuit potential $V_{\rm oc}$ of an illuminated junction for a given short-circuit current density $J_{\rm sc}$ . A precise relation between the grain boundary properties and $V_{\rm oc}$ is provided, advancing the understanding of the influence of grain boundaries on the efficiency of thin film polycrystalline photovoltaics like CdTe and $\mathrm{Cu(In,Ga)Se_2}$.