Thermal analysis of organic solar cells using an enhanced opto-thermal model

• An opto-thermal model is given to specify the dominant thermal phenomena in OSCs.
• Coupling the models determines both heat generation and heat flow mechanism.
• Al cathode and ITO anode contribute to more than 80% of optical heat generation.
• The model can be applied to other types of photovoltaic cells and optoelectronic devices.

In this paper, an opto-thermal model is presented in order to specify the dominant thermal phenomena in organic solar cells (OSCs), as rather low efficiency photovoltaic devices. This model is capable of predicting the amount of optical heat generation (Qth_opt), also the transient and steady state thermal behavior of an organic photovoltaic cell combining both the optical and thermal models. In a typical organic solar cell, Qth_opt plays a significant role in heating up the device while the electric heat generation (Qth_elec) does not effectively have such a role. Developing an optical model for a solar cell, Qth_opt can be determined in every position of the device; also, the contribution of each layer in heat generation is precisely specified. The device thermal behavior is predicted by feeding the thermal model with Qth_opt. This is done for an organic solar cell with a typical architecture and it is shown that thermal convection and radiation are two determinative thermal phenomena while conduction plays a minor role; furthermore, the electrodes, Aluminum (Al) cathode and Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) anode, are two strong light absorbers which contribute to more than 80% of optical heat generation. Assuming Stefan–Boltzman radiation loss, the temperature rise for a typical single junction OSC is estimated under different conditions. The device temperature rise might be even larger for other architectures consisting of several layers depending on their thicknesses and absorption coefficients. This temperature increase enhances the OSCs’ efficiency while degrading the lifetime. The model can be applied to thermal analysis of other types of photovoltaic cells and optoelectronic devices with minor modification.