Effects of nonuniformity in thin-film photovoltaics

We discuss the physical origin and effects of micrononuniformities on thin-film photovoltaics. The key factors are the large device area and the presence of potential barriers in the grain boundaries (for polycrystalline films) and in device junctions. We model the nonuniformity effects in the terms of random microdiodes connected in parallel through a resistive electrode. The microdiodes of low open circuit voltages are shown to affect macroscopically large regions. They strongly reduce the device performance and induce its nonuniform degradation in several different modes. We support our predictions by experiments, which show that the device degradation is driven by the light-induced forward bias and is spatially nonuniform. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.