Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of GraphSearch.
We determine the limiting efficiency for monolithic tandem solar cells that employ crystalline silicon for the top-cell as well as for the bottom cell. In such a design, the top-cell extends over the region of very high generation rate that forms at the front of the device. Consequently, the design benefts from a high excess carrier density in the top-cell, resulting in a voltage in the tandem device that is more than twice the voltage of equally thick single junction solar cells. Considering Coulomb-enhanced Auger recombination coefficient, we find a maximum efficiency of 30.7% for a total device thickness of 500 μm wherein the top cell thickness amounts to 2.15 μm, representing gain of 1.1% (abs) with respect to the limiting efficiency of single junction devices.