Leakage of photocurrent: an alternative view on I–V curves of solar cells

An alternative way is proposed to interpret I–V characteristics of GaInP single-junction solar cells by position-dependent leakage of photocurrent. With this approach, the I–V curves of solar cells under non-uniform illumination are well analyzed. The effective spreading resistance is also extracted to understand the dynamic behavior of between the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current points. The conditions under which the one-diode model will fail are addressed in detail. These analyses are also applicable for a characterization of the I–V curves with lateral voltage distribution under uniform illumination. (paper)