An equivalent circuit model approach to the numerical modelling of a p-n solar cell and photodetector

With the transmission line equivalent circuit model, the solution of the set of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations governing the carrier transport in semiconductor is converted to a circuit analysis problem. Nonlinear circuit analysis techniques call be employed. In this work, a different approach to computing the model equations in numerical form is presented. The equivalent circuit model is expanded to the simulation of photoilluminated devices by adding the photoexcitation into the circuit model. The details of the modelling techniques are described. The approach was demonstrated by a p-n junction solar cell. The model was also applied to the analysis of a reverse-bias p-n photodetector.