New equation = leap in solar technology, U-M researchers say

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

One small equation solved by a research team at the University of Michigan has the potential to become one giant leap forward in solar technology.

That team is lead by U-M Vice President of Research and Electrical Engineering Prof. Steve Forrest. It came up with a new variation of the Shockley equation that should allow for the use of semiconductors made of organic material. That could mean that solar technology becomes more energy efficient in terms of significantly reducing the amount of harmful waste created by electronics.

The Shockley ideal diode equation made the math work on semiconductors, helping enable their wider adoption and making the modern day computer possible. Pre-1949, when William Shockley, the inventor of the transistor, came up with the equation, computer electronics took up whole rooms. The equation describes the relationship between electric current and voltage in inorganic semiconductors such as silicon.

The U-M variant on this equation could have a similar impact on semiconductors in solar cells by creating a better understanding of how electric current and voltage flow through organic material. "This leads to a better and deeper understanding of how these materials work," Forrest says.

Forrest and his team have been working on the equation for the last couple of years. They found it while revisiting the math behind the electronic generating process in organic material.

Source: Steve Forrest, vice president of research at the University of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke

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