Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mphil-in-micro-and-nanotechnology-enterprise-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/paper-1/section-b/10/i/b/solution
Past exam of the MPhil in micro- and nanotechnology enterprise course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 Section B 10 i b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
The useful bandgap depends on the illumination spectrum, not only on whether the device is indoors or outdoors. The stipulated gap gives a long-wavelength absorption threshold near ; gives about using in nanometers.
Outdoor sunlight contains substantial visible and near-infrared power, so cadmium telluride can use a broader portion of that spectrum while retaining a useful output voltage. Its direct-gap absorption permits thin absorbers and large-area thin-film manufacture. Challenges include contacts and interfaces, collection and recombination, material supply and managing cadmium-containing material through fabrication and end-of-life handling.
Many indoor lamps concentrate their emission in the visible and provide little near-infrared power. A wider-gap absorber can then trade fewer lost useful photons for a higher attainable voltage and a smaller thermal dark-current penalty. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon has strong visible absorption, permits low-temperature large-area deposition and can suit low-power indoor devices. Disorder and defects restrict transport, and light-induced degradation and passivation stability must be controlled. Its larger gap forfeits more of the outdoor red/near-infrared spectrum.
These are suitability arguments, not guaranteed efficiencies. Indoor lamp spectra differ, and shunt leakage and recombination become particularly important at low light. Bandgap alone does not establish which finished device produces more power in every room.
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