1. Basic mechanisms in photovoltaic technologies
A solar cell is a device which converts photons coming from solar radiation into electric current. Such a cell is built with semiconductors, in which current production starts when a photon excites an electron in a module atom. The totality of the mechanisms behind the current generation is complex. It involves the efficient generation and extraction of charge carriers to produce an electrical current. The basics of these are presented in this first section.
1.1 Semiconductors
In order to understand the electronic properties of semiconductor materials, which are the base of photovoltaic devices, first of all their atomic structure has to be considered. A vast amount of semiconductors have a crystalline structure, which means that the atoms are arranged in a...
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
This article is included in
Characterization and properties of matter
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Basic mechanisms in photovoltaic technologies
Solar cells in real life
Bibliographical sources
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
