Comparing Solutions under Uncertainty in Multiobjective Optimization

Due to various reasons the solutions in real-world optimization problems cannot always be exactly evaluated but are sometimes represented with approximated values and confidence intervals. In order to address this issue, the comparison of solutions has to be done differently than for exactly evaluated solutions. In this paper, we define new relations under uncertainty between solutions in multiobjective optimization that are represented with approximated values and confidence intervals. The new relations extend the Pareto dominance relations, can handle constraints, and can be used to compare solutions, both with and without the confidence interval. We also show that by including confidence intervals into the comparisons, the possibility of incorrect comparisons, due to inaccurate approximations, is reduced. Without considering confidence intervals, the comparison of inaccurately approximated solutions can result in the promising solutions being rejected and the worse ones preserved. The effect of new relations in the comparison of solutions in a multiobjective optimization algorithm is also demonstrated

Infrared light management in high-efficiency silicon heterojunction and rear-passivated solar cells

Silicon heterojunction solar cells have record-high open-circuit voltages but suffer from reduced short-circuit currents due in large part to parasitic absorption in the amorphous silicon, transparent conductive oxide (TCO), and metal layers. We previously identified and quantified visible and ultraviolet parasitic absorption in heterojunctions; here, we extend the analysis to infrared light in heterojunction solar cells with efficiencies exceeding 20%. An extensive experimental investigation of the TCO layers indicates that the rear layer serves as a crucial electrical contact between amorphous silicon and the metal reflector. If very transparent and at least 150 nm thick, the rear TCO layer also maximizes infrared response. An optical model that combines a ray-tracing algorithm and a thin-film simulator reveals why: parallel-polarized light arriving at the rear surface at oblique incidence excites surface plasmons in the metal reflector, and this parasitic absorption in the metal can exceed the absorption in the TCO layer itself. Thick TCO layers-or dielectric layers, in rear-passivated diffused-junction silicon solar cells-reduce the penetration of the evanescent waves to the metal, thereby increasing internal reflectance at the rear surface. With an optimized rear TCO layer, the front TCO dominates the infrared losses in heterojunction solar cells. As its thickness and carrier density are constrained by anti-reflection and lateral conduction requirements, the front TCO can be improved only by increasing its electron mobility. Cell results attest to the power of TCO optimization: With a high-mobility front TCO and a 150-nm-thick, highly transparent rear ITO layer, we recently reported a 4-cm(2) silicon heterojunction solar cell with an active-area short-circuit current density of nearly 39 mA/cm(2) and a certified efficiency of over 22%. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4772975

Process Development of Silicon Heterojunction Interdigitated Back-Contacted (SHJ-IBC) Solar Cells Bonded to Glass

In imec’s i2-module concept, silicon heterojunction interdigitated back-contacted (SHJ-IBC) solar cells are fabricated on monocrystalline foils bonded to glass. The proposed technology allows for cell processing on thin wafers mechanically supported by the glass, increasing the yield of processing such thin wafers. A process sequence for SHJ-IBC cell fabrication that can be applied to bonded thin foils is described. We investigated and optimized individual process steps on thick wafers. Then the developed steps were integrated into a process flow to fabricate solar cells on wafers with different thicknesses and bonding agents. On wafers with a thickness of 190 μm, functional cells with efficiencies of 22.6% and 21.7% were made on freestanding and silicone bonded wafers, respectively. On thin wafers of 57 μm, our best SHJ-IBC cell on an EVA bonded wafer exhibits excellent Voc of 740 mV and efficiency of 20.0%, which demonstrates the high potential of the i2-module concept

Single-layer and double-layer filtration materials based on polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene nanofibers coated on melamine microfibers

In this work, we demonstrate selected optimization changes in the simple design of filtration masks to increase particle removal efficiency (PRE) and filter quality factor by combining experiments and numerical modeling. In particular, we focus on single-layer filters fabricated from uniform thickness fibers and double-layer filters consisting of a layer of highly permeable thick fibers as a support and a thin layer of filtering electrospun nanofibers. For single-layer filters, we demonstrate performance improvement in terms of the quality factor by optimizing the geometry of the composition. We show significantly better PRE performance for filters composed of micrometer-sized fibers covered by a thin layer of electrospun nanofibers. This work is motivated and carried out in collaboration with a targeted industrial development of selected melamine-based filter nano- and micromaterials

Thinning down the c-Si absorber - raytracing analysis of optical losses

Raytracing loss analysis of c-Si absorbers with different thicknesses and surface textures