COMSOL Simulation of Heat Distribution in InGaN Solar Cells: Coupled Optical-Electrical-Thermal 3-D Analysis

Abstract

Thermal distribution in solar cells has been rarely investigated despite it significant impact on the performance. The current contribution presents a COMSOL Multiphysics 3-D analysis of the electrical and optical photogeneration properties in relation with the heat distribution in InGaN solar cell. For this simulation, we have coupled the “Semiconductor Module”, the “Heat Transfer Module for Solids,” and the “Wave Optics Module” allowing us to calculate the Shockley–Read–Hall heating, the total heat flux, the Joule heating the carrier’s concentration, the electric field, and the temperature dissipation in the InGaN solar cell structure. Despite the fact that the achievements of InGaN solar cells are still mostly at the state of laboratory studies, the current contribution presenting original results on coupled phenomena occurring in the cells makes it possible to highlight new possible guidelines for an improve of their efficiency.