Fabrication and Characterization of Optic Fiber-Based Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Micro Concentrator Photovoltaic Cell

We studied the physical implications of an alternative architectural design for a photovoltaic cell and the optical parameters, which, when optimized, can maximize absorption in the organic semiconductor layer. By using an optical fiber to guide light into the semiconductor, we found two mechanisms for guiding the light into the active layer. The optical-fiber cell is designed in such a way that at specific optical input angles, the amount of resonant light absorbed into the organic semiconductor layer is maximized. We developed a mathematical model to determine the optimum incident angle, taking into account the incident plane, the meridional plane, the cross-sectional area of the fiber, and the optical path length.