Plasmon enhanced light absorption in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells

Silver nanospheres (Ag NSs) buffer layers were introduced via a solution casting process to enhance the light absorption in poly (3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. These Ag NSs, as surface plasmons, could increase the optical electric field in the photoactive layer whilst simultaneously improving the light scattering. As a result, this buffer layer improves the light absorption of P3HT:PCBM blend and consequently improves the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of organic solar cells. In this work, different sizes of Ag NSs plasmon‐enhanced layer were investigated, with the aim of optimizing the performance of devices. UV‐vis spectrometer measurement demonstrates that the total optical absorption of P3HT:PCBM blend films in the spectral range of 350–650 nm is increased by ～4 and 6% with incorporation of the 20 and 40 nm Ag NSs, respectively. The J_sc was shown to increase by ～21 and 24% for 20 and 40 nm Ag NSs, respectively. This is due to the extra photogenerated excitons by the plasmonic resonance of Ag NSs. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Porous silicon layers prepared by electrochemical etching for application in silicon thin film solar cells

In this paper, multilayer structures of porous silicon were fabricated by using electrochemical etching and characterized for its optical properties and surface morphology. Samples of monolayer of porous silicon were grown to study the characteristics of porous layer formation with respect to applied current density, etching time and hydrofluoric acid concentrations. Photoluminescence peaks of red emission at wavelength 695 and 650 nm were observed from multilayer porous silicon structures. By atomic force microscopy measurement, hillocks like surface were clearly observed within the host material, which confirmed the formation of pores.     

Development of sulphurized SnS thin film solar cells

Thin films of tin sulphide (SnS) have been grown by sulphurization of sputtered tin precursor layers in a closed chamber. The effect of sulphurization temperature (T_s) that varied in the range of 150–450 °C for a fixed sulphurization time of 120 min on SnS film was studied through various characterization techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis demonstrated the transformation of metallic tin layers into SnS single phase for T_s between 300 °C and 350 °C. The X-ray diffraction measurements indicated that all the grown films had the (111) crystal plane as the preferred orientation and exhibited orthorhombic crystal structure. Raman analysis showed modes at 95 cm⁻¹, 189 cm⁻¹ and 218 cm⁻¹ are related to the A_g mode of SnS. AFM images revealed a granular change in the grain growth with the increase of T_s. The optical energy band gap values were estimated using the transmittance spectra and found to be varied from 1.2 eV to 1.6 eV with T_s. The Hall effect measurements showed that all the films were p-type conducting nature and the layers grown at 350 °C showed a low electrical resistivity of 64 Ω-cm, a net carrier concentration of 2 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ and mobility of 41 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. With the use of sprayed Zn_0.76Mg_0.24O as a buffer layer and the sputtered ZnO:Al as window layer, the SnS based thin film solar cell was developed that showed a conversion efficiency of 2.02%.     

PIN型和NIP型硅薄膜太阳电池中绒面陷光结构和陷光性能研究

对于硅薄膜太阳电池来说, 无论是PIN型还是NIP型太阳电池, 采用绒面陷光结构来提高入射光的有效利用率是提高太阳电池效率的重要方法之一.本文采用标度相干理论对PIN和NIP型电池的绒面结构的陷光性能进行了数值模拟. 结果表明: PIN电池中前电极和NIP电池中背电极衬底粗糙度分别为160和40 nm时可获得理想的陷光效果; 在不同粗糙度背电极衬底上制备a-SiGe:H电池发现, 使用40和61.5 nm 背电极可获得相当的短路电流密度, 理论分析和实验得到了一致的结果. 关键词： 陷光结构 光散射能力 标量相干理论 硅基薄膜太阳电池     

Plasmonic fractals: ultrabroadband light trapping in thin film solar cells by a Sierpinski nanocarpet

Plasmonic Sierpinski nanocarpet as back structure for a thin film Si solar cell is investigated. We demonstrate that ultra-broadband light trapping can be obtained by placing square metallic nanoridges with Sierpinski pattern on the back contact of the thin film solar cell. The multiple-scale plasmonic fractal structure allows excitation of localized surface plasmons and surface plasmon polaritons in multiple wavelengths leading to obvious absorption enhancements in a wide frequency range. Full wave simulations show that 109 % increase of the short-circuit current density for a 200 nm thick solar cell, is achievable by the proposed fractal back structure. The amount of light absorbed in the active region of this cell is more than that of a flat cell with semiconductor thickness of 1,000 nm.     

Improving the efficiency of thin film tandem solar cells by plasmonic intermediate reflectors

Thin film tandem solar cells made of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon provide renewable energy at the benefit of low material consumption. As a drawback, these materials do not posses the high carrier mobilities of their crystalline counterpart which limits the feasible material thickness. For maintaining the light absorption as high as possible, photon management is required. Here we show that metallic nanodiscs that sustain localized plasmon polaritons can increase the efficiency of such solar cells if they are incorporated into the dielectric intermediate reflector separating the top and the bottom cell. We provide quantitative estimates for the possible absorption enhancement of optimized bi-periodic nanodiscs that are feasible for fabrication. Emphasis is also put on discussing the impact of obliquely incident sun light on the solar cell performance.     

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar cells from nanoparticle precursors

A non-vacuum process for Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) thin film solar cells from nanoparticle precursors was described in this work. CIGS nanoparticle precursors was prepared by a low temperature colloidal route by reacting the starting materials (CuI, InI₃, GaI₃ and Na₂Se) in organic solvents, by which fine CIGS nanoparticles of about 15 nm in diameter were obtained. The nanoparticle precursors were then deposited onto Mo/glass substrate by the doctor blade technique. After heat treating the CIGS/Mo/glass layers in Se gas atmosphere, a complete solar cell structure was fabricated by depositing the other layers including CdS buffer layer, ZnO window layer and Al electrodes by conventional methods. The resultant solar cell showed a conversion efficiency of 0.5%.     

Al纳米颗粒增强微晶硅薄膜太阳电池光吸收的模拟研究

利用价格低廉、性能优良的金属纳米颗粒增强太阳电池的光吸收具有广阔的应用前景. 通过建立三维数值模型, 模拟了微晶硅薄膜电池前表面周期性分布的Al纳米颗粒阵列对电池光吸收的影响, 并对其结构参数进行了优化. 模拟结果表明: 对于球状Al纳米颗粒阵列, 影响电池光吸收的关键参数是周期P与半径R的比值, 或者说是颗粒的表面覆盖度; 当P/R=4–5时, 总的光吸收较参考电池提高可达20%. 与球状颗粒相比, 优化后的半球状Al纳米颗粒阵列可获得更好的陷光效果, 但后者对颗粒半径R的变化较敏感. 另外, 结合电场分布, 对电池光吸收增强的物理机理进行了分析.     

Light trapping by chemically micro-textured glass for crystalline silicon solar cells

Results of the studies of optical properties of anti-reflective glasses with various texturization patterns, which were used as a coating for crystalline silicon solar cells, are presented. It was found that glass samples sorted by their optical transmittance demonstrated the same order as when sorted by their solar-cell short-circuit current enhancement parameter. The value of the latter depended on the parameters of texturization, such as the surface density of inclusions and their profile, and the depth of etching pits. A 2% relative increase of the solar cell efficiency was obtained for the best glass sample for null degree angle of incidence, proving enhanced light trapping properties of the studied glass.     

Nanocluster n-CdO thin film by sol-gel for solar cell applications

The nanocluster-CdO film was successfully synthesized by sol-gel method using cadmium acetate and 2-metoxyethanol as starting materials and monoethanolamine as a stabilizer. The structural properties of the CdO film were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM results indicate that the CdO film is consisted of nanoclusters with grain size of 75-85 nm. The optical band gap E_g of nanocluster-CdO film was found to be 2.27 eV. The heterostructure, formed from two semiconductor layers having different optical band gaps, p-Si/n-CdO is prepared as a solar cell device. The electrical properties of the device were characterized by current-voltage and capacitance-conductance-voltage methods. The photovoltaic properties of p-Si/n-CdO device have been investigated. The p-Si/n-CdO heterojunction solar cell shows the best values of V_oc = 0.41 and J_sc = 2.19 mA/cm² under AM1.5 illumination. It is evaluated that this work is useful as a basis for the search of nanomaterial CdO and more competitive p-Si/n-CdO based solar cells, despite the fact that V_oc and J_sc are lower than those reported in the literature.     

Boron-doped nanocrystalline silicon thin films for solar cells

This article reports on the structural, electronic, and optical properties of boron-doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films. The films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) at a substrate temperature of 150 °C. Crystalline volume fraction and dark conductivity of the films were determined as a function of trimethylboron-to-silane flow ratio. Optical constants of doped and undoped nc-Si:H were obtained from transmission and reflection spectra. By employing p⁺ nc-Si:H as a window layer combined with a p′ a-SiC buffer layer, a-Si:H-based p-p′-i-n solar cells on ZnO:Al-coated glass substrates were fabricated. Device characteristics were obtained from current-voltage and spectral-response measurements.     

纳米表面二维周期半圆凹槽增强硅薄膜太阳能电池光吸收

利用时域有限差分方法, 研究硅薄膜上下表面周期半圆凹槽结构对于太阳光吸收的增强效应. 研究发现这种结构可以实现太阳光宽波段的光吸收增强, 通过调节SiO₂表面减反层厚度和凹槽半径长度来实现薄膜太阳能电池最大的光吸收, 并实现了波长在300-1000 nm范围的太阳光吸收总能量比没有这种 结构下硅薄膜光吸收提高了约117%. 关键词： 硅薄膜 半圆凹槽 吸收增强     

GaAs纳米线阵列太阳能电池的设计与优化

为了得到纳米线阵列太阳能电池的最优转换效率,通过仿真计算对GaAs轴向pin结纳米线阵列进行了结构优化.首先利用三维有限时域差分法分析了GaAs纳米线阵列的光吸收特性,并对其直径、密度等结构参量进行优化,优化后的GaAs纳米线阵列的光吸收率可达87.4%.在此基础上,利用Sentaurus软件包中的电学仿真模块分析了电池的电学性能,并根据光生载流子在纳米线中的分布,对轴向pin结结构进行优化,最终优化过的太阳能电池功率转换效率可达到17.6%.分析结果表明,通过钝化处理以降低GaAs纳米线的表面复合速率,可显著提升电池的功率转换效率,而通过减小纳米线顶端高掺杂区域的体积,可减少载流子复合损耗,从而提高电池效率.该研究可为制作高性能的纳米线太阳能电池提供参考.     

Interface modification of MoS2 counter electrode/electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells by incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles

To achieve the high efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the interface modification of MoS₂ counter electrode (CE)/electrolyte should be carried out. Making the modified MoS₂ CE by incorporating TiO₂ nanoparticles provides possibilities to enhance electrocatalytic activity. The DSSCs with the MoS₂/TiO₂ CE show enhanced performance compared with DSSCs with the MoS₂ CE. The experimental results revealed that the MoS₂/TiO₂ nanocomposite influences on the power conversion efficiency by enhancing electrocatalytic activity and increasing the active surface area that serve to increase the short circuit current. This understanding can provide guidance for the development of highly efficient DSSCs with platinum-free CEs.     

基于阳极氧化铝纳米光栅的薄膜硅太阳能电池双重陷光结构设计与仿真

本文提出了表面和底部均带有阳极氧化铝(AAO)纳米光栅的薄膜硅太阳能电池双重陷光结构,利用FDTD软件仿真研究了AAO纳米光栅的周期、厚度和占空比对薄膜硅太阳能电池短路电流密度的影响,并对AAO结构参数进行了优化.仿真结果表明,表面AAO最佳结构参数是周期440 nm,厚度75 nm,占空比0.5,底部AAO最佳结构参数是周期380 nm,厚度90 nm,占空比为0.75.双重AAO组合陷光结构可有效增加薄膜硅太阳能电池在280—1100 nm范围内的光吸收,吸收相对增强可以达到74.44%.     

Enhanced photon harvesting in silicon multicrystalline solar cells by new lanthanide complexes as light concentrators

Four europium complexes with enhanced luminescent properties have been synthesized. Thin transparent films of the complexes were prepared on glass panes and then were examined as efficient luminescent solar concentrators for full spectrum utilization in crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells. The complexes could behave as efficient solar concentrators since they absorb UV light, where the spectral response of the crystalline silicon solar cells is low and they emit at 615 nm where the spectral response is maximum. The glass panes covered with europium complexes act as planar waveguides of the emitted light that is collected by the solar cells, which are attached to the edges of the solar concentrators. The europium complexes as solar concentrators were examined in terms of the optimum concentrations and the number of coatings, which were determined in order to evaluate the maximum performance of the solar cells. The case of multiple glass panes with europium complexes was also examined while a 28% maximum increase in the photocurrent was finally established.     

Microstructured design of metallic diffraction gratings for light trapping in thin-film silicon solar cells

In thin-film silicon solar cells, a flexible optical design for light collection is developed that can enhance the optical path length in absorber layer. In this paper, we demonstrate the rectangular, trapezoidal and triangular metallic diffraction gratings as back reflectors. The potential of the structures in the solar cells is investigated by means of numerical simulations, i.e., the Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis enhanced by the Modal Transmission Line theory. The results show that the 0-order reflection can be suppressed and the energy can be transferred to high diffraction orders by metallic diffraction gratings, especially the triangular metallic diffraction gratings.     

Thermally evaporated CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells: Optimization of CdCl2 evaporation treatment on absorber layer

CdCl₂ treatment is crucial in the fabrication of highly efficient CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cells. This study reports a comprehensive analysis of thermal evaporated CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cells when the CdTe absorber layer is CdCl₂ annealed at temperatures from 340 to 440 °C. Samples were characterized for structural, optical, morphological and electrical properties. The films annealed at 400 °C showed better crystallinity with a cubic zinc blende structure having large grains. Higher refractive index, optical conductivity, and absorption coefficient were recorded for the CdTe films annealed at 400 °C with CdCl₂. Optimum photoactive properties for CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cells were also obtained when samples were annealed at 400 °C for 20 min with CdCl₂, and the best device exhibited V_OC of 668.4 mV, J_SC of 13.6 mA cm⁻², FF of 53.9% and an efficiency of 4.9%.     

Plasmon enhanced CdS-quantum dot sensitized solar cell using ZnO nanorods array deposited with Ag nanoparticles as photoanode

CdS-quantum dot sensitized solar cell using ZnO nanorods (ZnO NRs) array deposited with Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) as photoanode was fabricated. Light absorption effect of Ag NPs on improvement of the cell performance was investigated. Performance improvement of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) was controlled by the structure design and architecture. Different decorations and densities of Ag NPs were utilized on the photoanode. Results showed that using 5% Ag NPs in the photoanode results in the increased efficiency, fill factor, and circuit current density from 0.28% to 0.60%, 0.22 to 0.29, and 2.18 mA/cm² to 3.25 mA/cm², respectively. Also, incident photon-to-current efficiencies (IPCE) results showed that cell performance improvement is related to enhanced absorption in the photoanode, which is because of the surface plasmonic resonance and light scattering of Ag NPs in the photoanode. Measurements of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that hole transfer kinetics increases with introduction of Ag NPs into photoanode. Also, it is shown that chemical capacitance increases with introduction of Ag NPs. Such increase can be attributed to the surface palsmonic resonance of Ag NPs which leads to absorption of more light in the photoanode and generation of more photoelectron in the photoanode.     

Laser machined macro and micro structures on glass for enhanced light trapping in solar cells

In order to increase the efficiency of solar cell modules it is necessary to make the optimum use of light incident upon them. Much research has been done on improving light absorption through front surface texturisation and light trapping schemes. Laser light is commonly used in industry for various applications including marking and texturisation. By controlling laser parameters, it is possible to tailor macro and micro structures in most materials. The CO₂ laser used in this investigation emits radiation at 10.6 μm with the ability to pulse in the micro-second range. The laser was used to ablate grooved textures in the fused quartz material, used in this study as the light trapping medium, following which an analysis of the effects of the laser parameters on the texture geometry and surface morphology was performed through a combination of cross sectioning and scanning electron microscopy. Transmission through the textured glass was improved for most samples after acid etching. The light trapping effects of the best performing textures were analysed by investigating the effects on a silicon solar cell’s performance at varying angles of incidence. Results indicated a significant increase in light trapping when light was incident at acute angles. For an angle of incidence of 10^° a relative increase in efficiency of up to 51 % was observed.