Micro Photovoltaic Module Energy Harvesting

This chapter introduces several typical solar cells and their application with photovoltaic micro energy harvester. It starts from crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cell as c-Si, which is a good example to illustrate the power conversion principle of p-n junction type solar cells, while basic solar cell parameters, characterization technique, and cell fabrication process are introduced in the chapter. Other p-n junction type thin film solar cells such as copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and amorphous silicon are detailed with their cell structures and fabrication process. Two types of organic molecule-based cells, polymer solar cells, and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), are also briefly introduced. The chapter also addresses the application-related issues in micro photovoltaic energy harvesting. The power management circuitry is introduced with a focus on ultra-low-power maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Wide input voltage range DC-DC converters are introduced as the output voltage regulators.