Interplay of photons and charge carriers in thin-film devices

TL;DR

This paper develops a unified theoretical framework combining charge carrier dynamics and photon transport, including interference effects, to better understand and optimize thin-film optoelectronic devices like solar cells.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent model integrating drift-diffusion and fluctuational electrodynamics with interference-extended radiative transfer equations for thin-film devices.

Findings

Successfully applied to GaAs thin-film solar cells

Provides detailed insight into photon transport and recombination processes

Framework is adaptable to various planar optoelectronic devices

Abstract

Thin films are gaining ground in photonics and optoelectronics, promising improvements in their efficiency and functionality as well as decreased material usage as compared to bulk technologies. However, proliferation of thin films would benefit not only from continuous improvements in their fabrication, but also from a unified and accurate theoretical framework of the interplay of photons and charge carriers. In particular, such a framework would need to account quantitatively and self-consistently for photon recycling and interference effects. To this end, here we combine the drift-diffusion formalism of charge carrier dynamics and the fluctuational electrodynamics of photon transport self-consistently using the recently introduced interference-extended radiative transfer equations. The resulting equation system can be solved numerically using standard simulation tools, and as an example, here we apply it to study well-known GaAs thin-film solar cells. In addition to obtaining the expected device characteristics, we analyze the underlying complex photon transport and recombination-generation processes, demonstrating the physical insight provided for unevenly excited structures through the direct and self-consistent description of photons and charge carriers. The methodology proposed in this work is general and can be used to obtain accurate physical insight into a wide range of planar optoelectronic devices, of which the thin-film single-junction solar cells studied here are only one example.