What is the main role of doping in a solar cell?

[A Sofyan]

Is doping only to form an electric field in depletion region?

Somehow I'm confused as far as I'm reading right now, the doping-generated carrier never discussed its role in the solar cell (other than leaving the ion and causing an electric field). Is not the number of carriers generated by doping very much compared to the light generated carrier?

 

[Cybertib]

(i) In a PN junction, I would say that yes, the principle is to create a space charge, inducing a permanent electric field to animate the electrons for generating a light-induced current.
(ii) Light generated carriers can also excited via intense laser irradiation, where their amount become larger than when performing a doping. But then it is just transient and usually lead to damage the material.

 

[A Sofyan]

(i) In a PN junction, I would say that yes, the principle is to create a space charge, inducing a permanent electric field to animate the electrons for generating a light-induced current.
(ii) Light generated carriers can also excited via intense laser irradiation, where their amount become larger than when performing a doping. But then it is just transient and usually lead to damage the material.

The second point must be about the high level injection..
For the first point, it's the most common principle, but whether the resulting doping carrier will participate into current or not I do not understand.