Nonlinear Response Of Silicon Solar Cells

We used an LED-array-based combinatorial flux addition method to explore the wavelength and the intensity-dependence of the spectral responsivity in silicon solar cells. Many types of silicon cells, whether mono-or multi-crystalline type, exhibit notable nonlinear behavior of current with light intensity at illumination intensities below 0.01-sun equivalent levels. This effect is particularly pronounced when exposed to near-infrared light close to the peak of the spectral responsivity. However, some cases show the perseverance of nonlinearity all the way up to 1-sun intensity levels. In such cases, use of these cells as reference cells has implications for the accuracy of electrical performance measurements.