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Basic Equations
Poisson's Equation
ρ q −
dE +
= = (p(x) − n(x) − N + N )
dx ε ε A D

where E is the electric field, ρ is the charge density and ε is the material permittivity. This equation gives the basic relationship between charge and
electric field strength. In semiconductors we divide the charge up into four components: hole density, p, electron density, n, acceptor atom density, NA
and donor atom density, ND.

For the ideal diode derivation NA is assumed constant in the p-region and zero in the n-region. Similarly, ND is assumed constant in the n-region and
zero in the p-region.

Transport Equations

dn dp
Jn = qμn nE + qDn  ,    Jp = qμp pE + qDp
dx dx

where Jn is the electron current density, μn is the electron mobility and Dn is the electron diffusivity. Similarly, Jp is the hole current density, μp is the hole
→
mobility and Dp is the hole diffusivity. q is the electronic charge and E is the electric field. Note that in this section we use E, Ê  and E  

interchangeably for the electric field. Its a mistake and we should be consistent and stick to E.

The transport equations describe how carriers move, i.e. the flow of carriers or current. Its easier to use the current density, J, in A/cm 2 rather than the
absolute current, I, in A since we are not concerned with the area of the device. I = J × Area and for a 1 cm2 device J and I are equal.

The first term in each equation is for drift (https://www.pveducation.org/pvcdrom/pn-junction/drift)and the second term is for diffusion
(https://www.pveducation.org/pvcdrom/pn-junction/diffusion).

Continuity Equations
The continuity equation keeps track of all the carriers in terms of movement, generation and recombination. They are sometimes termed 'book keeping'
equations since they make sure that every carrier is accounted for.

General Conditions

where U is the recombinaton rate and G is the generation rate.

Solar cells operate in steady state and we are not concerned with transients or switching times. Under thermal equilibrium and steady state conditions
the carrier concentrations do not change with time so that:

dn dp
= = 0
dt dt

Rearranging the equations above leads to:

Summary
We now have the five basic equations to solve:

dE ρ q − +
= = (p(x) − n(x) − N + N )
dx ε ε A D

https://www.pveducation.org/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/basic-equations 1/3
7/17/2019
Jn = qμn nE + qDn
dn
 ,    Jp = qμp pE + qDp
dp
Basic Equations | PVEducation
dx dx

The equations are readily solved using numerical approaches1, and there are many device simulators that perform this task. By making a few
approximations it is also possible to solve the equations closed form as outlined on the following pages.

1. P. A. Basore (/biblio?f%5Bauthor%5D=20), “Numerical modeling of textured silicon solar cells using PC-1D” (/node/441), Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 37,
pp. 337 -343, 1990.

‹ Ideal Diode Equation Derivation (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/ideal- Applying the Basic Equations to a PN Junction ›
diode-equation-derivation) (/pvcdrom/applying-the-basic-equations-to-a-pn-junction)
Add new comment (/comment/reply/97#comment-form) Español (/es/fotovoltaica/dispositivos-semiconductores/ecuaciones-b%C3%A1sicas)

(https://www.pveducation.org)

Christiana Honsberg
and Stuart Bowden
Instructions (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/instructions)
1. Introduction (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/introduction)
2. Properties of Sunlight (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/properties-of-sunlight)
3. Semiconductors & Junctions (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/pn-junctions)
Introduction (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/introduction-to-semiconductors)
3.1. Basics (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/basics)
Semiconductor Materials (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/semiconductor-materials)
Semiconductor Structure (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/semiconductor-structure)
Conduction in Semiconductors (/pvcdrom/conduction-in-semiconductors)
Band Gap (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/band-gap)
Intrinsic Carrier Concentration (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/intrinsic-carrier-concentration)
Doping (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/doping)
Equilibrium Carrier Concentration (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/equilibrium-carrier-concentration)
3.2. Generation (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/generation)
Absorption of Light (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/absorption-of-light)
Absorption Coefficient (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/absorption-coefficient)
Absorption Depth (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/absorption-depth)
Generation Rate (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/generation-rate)
3.3. Recombination (/pvcdrom/recombination)
Types of Recombination (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/types-of-recombination)
Lifetime (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/lifetime)
Diffusion Length (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/diffusion-length)
Surface Recombination (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/surface-recombination)
3.4. Carrier Transport (/pvcdrom/carrier-transport)
Movement of Carriers in Semiconductors (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/movement-of-carriers-in-semiconductors)
Diffusion (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/diffusion)
Drift (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/drift)
3.5. P-n Junctions (/pvcdrom/p-n-junctions)
Formation of a PN-Junction (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/formation-of-a-pn-junction)
P-N Junction Diodes (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/p-n-junction-diodes)
Bias of PN Junctions (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/bias-of-pn-junctions)
Diode Equation (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/diode-equation)
3.6. Diode Equations for PV (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/diode-equations-for-pv)
Ideal Diode Equation Derivation (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/ideal-diode-equation-derivation)
Basic Equations (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/basic-equations)
Applying the Basic Equations to a PN Junction (/pvcdrom/applying-the-basic-equations-to-a-pn-junction)
Solving for Depletion Region (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/solving-for-depletion-region)
Solving for Quasi Neutral Regions (/pvcdrom/solving-for-quasi-neutral-regions)
Finding Total Current (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/finding-total-current)
https://www.pveducation.org/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/basic-equations 2/3
 Eg1: Wide Base Diode (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/example-1-general-solution-for-wide-base-p-n-junction)
7/17/2019 Basic Equations | PVEducation
Eg2: Narrow Base Diode (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/example-2-general-solution-for-narrow-base-diode)
Summary (/pvcdrom/pn-junctions/summary)

4. Solar Cell Operation (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/solar-cell-operation)

5. Design of Silicon Cells (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/design-of-silicon-cells)
6. Manufacturing Si Cells (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/manufacturing-si-cells)
7. Modules and Arrays (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/modules-and-arrays)
8. Characterization (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/characterisation)
9. Material Properties (/pvcdrom/materials)
10. Batteries (/pvcdrom/welcome-to-pvcdrom/batteries)
11. Appendices (/pvcdrom/appendices)
Korean Version (/pvcdrom/korean)
Equations (/list-of-equations)
Flash Animations (/list-of-flash)
Interactive Graphs (/list-of-graphs)
Logout (https://pveducation.org/user/logout)
References (/biblio)

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