Finite-Difference Time-Domain Simulation of Photovoltaic Structures Using a Graphical User Interface for MEEP

Interest in improving the performance and reducing the costs of photovoltaic (PV) cells is rapidly increasing. Novel thin-film PV cells offer the possibility of using less material, but require advanced light-trapping techniques for high performance. These designs must be carefully modeled; a finite-difference time-domain tool known as MEEP offers this capability for expert users. However, there is also great interest from new users in using MEEP for PV cells. Thus, we have developed a graphical user interface (GUI) for MEEP known as MEEPPV, geared toward simulation of 2D and 3D PV cell geometries, freely available through nanoHUB.org. The tool collects input from the interface to create a control file to run MEEP on the back end as before. It outputs images of the PV cell structure being simulated, plus transmission, reflection, and absorption graphs, as well as an animation of the fields propagating through the PV cell.