PV Analyzer is a tool for rapid data analysis and parameter extraction from solar cell measurements. Current version analyzes the dark current-voltage (IV) characteristics of solar cells to extract the diode and shunt current parameters. Large area solar cells have a significant parasitic conduction due to parallel shunt paths. In thin film cells in particular these shunt currents are non-ohmic and symmetric with voltage. This tool utilizes the symmetry of shunt current to separate the shunt and diode current components and then uses separate equations to fit the two current components. This separation and fitting method yields parameter values which are free from fluctuations due to parasitic and can be related to physical processes in the device. The tool can also analyze multiple IV data at once, and all the data as well as fit parameters can be downloaded as text files for further analysis.

Sourabh Dongaonkar, Muhammad A Alam

SRC-ERI Network for Photovoltaic Technology

On the Nature of Shunt Leakage in Amorphous Silicon p-i-n solar cells
Dongaonkar, S., Y, K., Wang, D., Frei, M., Mahapatra, S., & Alam, M. A.,
IEEE Electron Device Letters, 31(11), 1266-1268 (2010)

Universality of non-Ohmic Shunt Leakage in Thin Film Solar Cells
Dongaonkar, S., Servaites, J. D., Ford, G. M., Loser, S., Moore, J., et al.,
Journal of Applied Physics, 108(12), 124509. (2010)

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• Sourabh Dongaonkar, Muhammad Alam (2014), "PV Analyzer," https://nanohub.org/resources/pvanalyzer. (DOI: 10.4231/D30G3GX9B).

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1. NCN Group - Energy Conversion and Storage
2. photovoltaics (PV)
3. Solar
4. solar cell devices
5. solar cells