IVkurven

IVkurven, commonly referred to in English as the I–V curve, is a plot of current (I) versus voltage (V) for an electrical device or circuit. It summarizes how the current responds to changes in applied voltage and is obtained by sweeping the voltage across the device and recording the corresponding current. The exact shape depends on the device: a resistor yields a straight line with slope 1/R; a diode shows an exponential rise in forward bias and very little current in reverse bias; nonlinear devices such as solar cells or transistors exhibit more complex curves.

In many applications, the IV curve reveals key operating characteristics. For solar cells, important points include the short-circuit current (Isc), the current at zero voltage, and the open-circuit voltage (Voc), the voltage at which current drops to zero. The maximum power point (Pmax) on the curve indicates the best operating combination of voltage and current, and the fill factor (FF) is defined as Pmax divided by the product Voc × Isc. Efficiency is typically reported as the ratio of the maximum output power to the incident light or input power.

Modeling of IV curves often uses the diode equation, sometimes with additional terms for series resistance and shunt (parasitic) resistance. Temperature, illumination (for photovoltaic devices), and device structure influence the curve by shifting Voc, Isc, and the overall shape.

IVcurves are fundamental tools for characterizing diodes, transistors, batteries, and especially solar cells, enabling design, testing, diagnostics, and performance optimization of electronic and optoelectronic systems.