Plasmon-Enhanced Sunlight Harvesting in Thin-Film Solar Cell by Randomly Distributed Nanoparticle Array

In this paper, a randomly distributed plasmonic aluminum nanoparticle array is introduced on the top surface of conventional GaAs thin-film solar cells to improve sunlight harvesting. The performance of such photovoltaic structures is determined through monitoring the modification of its absorbance due to changing its structural parameters. A single Al nanoparticle array is integrated over the antireflective layer to boost the absorption spectra in both visible and near-infra-red regimes. Furthermore, the planar density of the plasmonic layer is presented as a crucial parameter in studying and investigating the performance of the solar cells. Then, we have introduced a double Al nanoparticle array as an imperfection from the regular uniform single array as it has different size particles and various spatial distributions. The comparison of performances was established using the enhancement percentage in the absorption. The findings illustrate that the structural parameters of the reported solar cell, especially the planar density of the plasmonic layer, have significant impacts on tuning solar energy harvesting. Additionally, increasing the plasmonic planar density enhances the absorption in the visible region. On the other hand, the absorption in the near-infrared regime becomes worse, and vice versa.

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High Haze and Low Resistive MgO/AZO Bi-layer Transparent Conducting Oxide for Thin Film Solar Cells

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/opl.2011.1063 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1327 ◽

Author(s):

Dong Won Kang ◽

Jong Seok Woo ◽

Sung Hwan Choi ◽

Seung Yoon Lee ◽

Heon Min. Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Silicon Solar Cell ◽

Transparent Conducting Oxide ◽

Visible Region ◽

Xrd Analysis ◽

Thin Film Solar Cells ◽

Microcrystalline Silicon ◽

Transparent Conducting

ABSTRACTWe have propsed MgO/AZO bi-layer transparent conducting oxide (TCO) for thin film solar cells. From XRD analysis, it was observed that the full width at half maximum of AZO decreased when it was grown on MgO precursor. The Hall mobility of MgO/AZO bi-layer was 17.5cm2/Vs, whereas that of AZO was 20.8cm2/Vs. These indicated that the crystallinity of AZO decreased by employing MgO precursor. However, the haze (=total diffusive transmittance/total transmittance) characteristics of highly crystalline AZO was significantly improved by MgO precursor. The average haze in the visible region increased from 14.3 to 48.2%, and that in the NIR region increased from 6.3 to 18.9%. The reflectance of microcrystalline silicon solar cell was decreased and external quantum efficiency was significantly improved by applying MgO/AZO bi-layer TCO. The efficiency of microcrystalline silicon solar cell with MgO/AZO bi-layer front TCO was 6.66%, whereas the efficiency of one with AZO single TCO was 5.19%.

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Optical Absorption Enhancement in Amorphous Silicon Films and Solar Cell Precursors Using the Aluminum-Induced Glass Texturing Method

International Journal of Photoenergy ◽

10.1155/2014/842891 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Nasim Sahraei ◽

Selvaraj Venkataraj ◽

Premachandran Vayalakkara ◽

Armin G. Aberle

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Optical Absorption ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Absorber Layer ◽

Silicon Films ◽

Absorption Enhancement ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency

One of the key issues of thin-film silicon solar cells is their limited optical absorptance due to the thin absorber layer and the low absorption coefficient for near-infrared wavelengths. Texturing of one or more interfaces in the layered structure of these cells is an important technique to scatter light and enhance the optical pathlength. This in turn enhances the optical absorption of the solar radiation in the absorber layer and improves the solar cell efficiency. In this paper we investigate the effects of textured glass superstrate surfaces on the optical absorptance of intrinsic a-Si:H films and a-Si:Hp-i-nthin-film solar cell precursors deposited onto them. The silicon-facing surface of the glass sheets was textured with the aluminium-induced glass texturing method (AIT method). Absorption in both intrinsic silicon films and solar cell precursor structures is found to increase strongly due to the textured glass superstrate. The increased absorption due to the AIT glass opens up the possibility to reduce the absorber layer thickness of a-Si:H solar cells.

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Microcrystalline and Amorphous Photovoltaic Silicon Materials Performance Optimization

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.870.74 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 870 ◽

pp. 74-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

S.N. Chebotarev ◽

A.S. Pashchenko ◽

D.A. Arustamyan

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Performance Optimization ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Visible Range ◽

Infrared Range ◽

Improved Performance ◽

Crystalline Solar Cell

A design of a thin-film solar cell based on microcrystalline and amorphous silicon α-Si:H(n-i-p)/μс-Si:O(n-i-p)/μс-Si:H(n-i-p) was proposed. A physical model and software to calculate the functional characteristics of these solar cells were developed. The numerical simulation results show that the efficiency of the optimized thin-film solar cells may reach up to 16.3 %, open circuit voltage 1.96 V, fill factor 78 %. Improved performance of the non-crystalline solar cell is achieved by an increase in absorbance in the visible range 500 – 800 nm to 40 – 60 % and in the near-infrared range of the solar radiation 800 – 1100 nm to 70 – 75 %.

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Characteristics of a-SiC:H/a-SiGe:H hetero-junction thin film solar cells with and without a-Si:H buffer layer at the p/i interface

International Journal of Modern Physics B ◽

10.1142/s0217979214501069 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 28 (17) ◽

pp. 1450106 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Won-Ho Son ◽

Si-Hun Lee ◽

Sie-Young Choi

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Buffer Layer ◽

Conversion Efficiency ◽

Amorphous Materials ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Type A ◽

Thin Film Solar Cells ◽

Solar Simulator

This article shows the characteristics on a - SiGe:H based solar cells with various structures. Based on these results, we proposed the a - SiC:H / a - SiGe:H hetero-junction thin film solar cells with a - Si:H buffer layer at the p/i interface to improve the performance of pin-type a - SiGe:H based solar cell. All films of amorphous materials were deposited by 13.56 MHz PECVD method. The effects of deposited parameters on the characteristics of a - SiC:H and a - SiGe:H films have been investigated by ultraviolet–visible–near infrared (UV–VIS–NIR) spectrophotometer. The various values of V oc , J sc , FF and η were measured under 100 mW/cm2 (AM 1.5) solar simulator irradiation. In the proposed structure, we achieved a higher conversion efficiency than general a - SiGe:H solar cell and a - SiC:H / a - SiGe:H hetero-junction thin film solar cells without a - Si:H buffer layer at the p/i interface. Based on results obtained from this study, we discuss the roles of a - Si:H buffer layer in a - SiC:H / a - SiGe:H hetero-junction thin film solar cells.

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19% Efficient P3CT-Na Based MAPbI3 Solar Cells with a Simple Double-Filtering Process

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13060886 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 886

Author(s):

Shou-En Chiang ◽

Qi-Bin Ke ◽

Anjali Chandel ◽

Hsin-Ming Cheng ◽

Yung-Sheng Yen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Near Infrared ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Short Circuit ◽

Photovoltaic Performance ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Transport Layer ◽

Hole Transport Layer

A high-efficiency inverted-type CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) solar cell was fabricated by using a ultrathin poly[3-(4-carboxybutyl)thiophene-2,5-diyl]-Na (P3CT-Na) film as the hole transport layer. The averaged power conversion efficiency (PCE) can be largely increased from 11.72 to 18.92% with a double-filtering process of the P3CT-Na solution mainly due to the increase in short-circuit current density (JSC) from 19.43 to 23.88 mA/cm2, which means that the molecular packing structure of P3CT-Na thin film can influence the formation of the MAPbI3 thin film and the contact quality at the MAPbI3/P3CT-Na interface. Zeta potentials, atomic-force microscopic images, absorbance spectra, photoluminescence spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns, and Raman scattering spectra are used to understand the improvement in the JSC. Besides, the light intensity-dependent and wavelength-dependent photovoltaic performance of the MAPbI3 solar cells shows that the P3CT-Na thin film is not only used as the hole transport layer but also plays an important role during the formation of a high-quality MAPbI3 thin film. It is noted that the PCE values of the best P3CT-Na based MAPbI3 solar cell are higher than 30% in the yellow-to-near infrared wavelength range under low light intensities. On the other hand, it is predicted that the double-filtering method can be readily used to increase the PCE of polymer based solar cells.

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CdTe-Based Thin Film Solar Cells: Past, Present and Future

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14061684 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 1684

Author(s):

Alessandro Romeo ◽

Elisa Artegiani

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Short Circuit ◽

Short Circuit Current ◽

Short Circuit Current Density ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Early Years ◽

Solar Cell Efficiency ◽

Cell Efficiency

CdTe is a very robust and chemically stable material and for this reason its related solar cell thin film photovoltaic technology is now the only thin film technology in the first 10 top producers in the world. CdTe has an optimum band gap for the Schockley-Queisser limit and could deliver very high efficiencies as single junction device of more than 32%, with an open circuit voltage of 1 V and a short circuit current density exceeding 30 mA/cm2. CdTe solar cells were introduced at the beginning of the 70s and they have been studied and implemented particularly in the last 30 years. The strong improvement in efficiency in the last 5 years was obtained by a new redesign of the CdTe solar cell device reaching a single solar cell efficiency of 22.1% and a module efficiency of 19%. In this paper we describe the fabrication process following the history of the solar cell as it was developed in the early years up to the latest development and changes. Moreover the paper also presents future possible alternative absorbers and discusses the only apparently controversial environmental impacts of this fantastic technology.

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Design and fabrication of a semi-transparent solar cell considering the effect of the layer thickness of MoO3/Ag/MoO3 transparent top contact on optical and electrical properties

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-92539-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Çağlar Çetinkaya ◽

Erman Çokduygulular ◽

Barış Kınacı ◽

Feyza Güzelçimen ◽

Yunus Özen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cell ◽

Layer Thickness ◽

High Performance ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Visible Region ◽

Infrared Region ◽

Experimental Comparison ◽

Top Contact ◽

Cie Chromaticity ◽

Design And Manufacture

AbstractWe conducted the present study to design and manufacture a semi-transparent organic solar cell (ST-OSC). First, we formed a transparent top contact as MoO3/Ag/MoO3 in a dielectric/metal/dielectric (DMD) structure. We performed the production of an FTO/ZnO/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Ag/MoO3 ST-OSC by integrating MoO3/Ag/MoO3 (10/$$d_{m}$$ d m /$$d_{{od}}$$ d od nm) instead of an Ag electrode in an opaque FTO/ZnO/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Ag (–/40/130/10/100 nm) OSC, after theoretically achieving optimal values of optical and electrical parameters depending on Ag layer thickness. The transparency decreased with the increase of $$d_{m}$$ d m values for current DMD. Meanwhile, maximum transmittance and average visible transmittance (AVT) indicated the maximum values of over 92% for $$d_{m} ~$$ d m = 4 and 8 nm, respectively. For ST-OSCs, the absorption and reflectance increased in the visible region by a wavelength of longer than 560 nm and in the whole near-infrared region by increasing $$d_{m}$$ d m up to 16 nm. Moreover, in the CIE chromaticity diagram, we reported a shift towards the D65 Planckian locus for colour coordinates of current ST-OSCs. Electrical analysis indicated the photogenerated current density and AVT values for $$d_{m} = 6$$ d m = 6 nm as 63.30 mA/cm2 and 38.52%, respectively. Thus, the theoretical and experimental comparison of optical and electrical characteristics confirmed that the manufactured structure is potentially conducive for a high-performance ST-OSC.

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Unsymmetrical Heptamethine Dyes for NIR Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

International Journal of Photoenergy ◽

10.1155/2014/258984 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Thomas Geiger ◽

Iuliia Schoger ◽

Daniel Rentsch ◽

Anna Christina Véron ◽

Frédéric Oswald ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Structure ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Photophysical Properties ◽

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Dye Sensitized ◽

Sensitized Solar Cells ◽

Nir Dye ◽

Proof Of Principle

Seven unsymmetrical heptamethine dyes with carboxylic acid functionality were synthesized and characterized. These near-infrared dyes exhibit outstanding photophysical properties depending on their heterocyclic moieties and molecular structure. As proof of principle, the dyes were used as photosensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells. Using the most promising dye, an overall conversion efficiency of 1.22% and an almost colorless solar cell were achieved.

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Three Generations of Solar Cells

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.1165.113 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1165 ◽

pp. 113-130

Author(s):

Romyani Goswami

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Single Crystal ◽

Amorphous Silicon ◽

Cost Reduction ◽

High Stability ◽

Single Crystal Silicon ◽

Nanocrystalline Silicon ◽

Crystal Silicon

In photovoltaic system the major challenge is the cost reduction of the solar cell module to compete with those of conventional energy sources. Evolution of solar photovoltaic comprises of several generations through the last sixty years. The first generation solar cells were based on single crystal silicon and bulk polycrystalline Si wafers. The single crystal silicon solar cell has high material cost and the fabrication also requires very high energy. The second generation solar cells were based on thin film fabrication technology. Due to low temperature manufacturing process and less material requirement, remarkable cost reduction was achieved in these solar cells. Among all the thin film technologies amorphous silicon thin film solar cell is in most advanced stage of development and is commercially available. However, an inherent problem of light induced degradation in amorphous silicon hinders the higher efficiency in this kind of cell. The third generation silicon solar cells are based on nano-crystalline and nano-porous materials. Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) is becoming a promising material as an absorber layer of solar cell due to its high stability with high Voc. It is also suggested that the cause of high stability and less degradation of certain nc-Si:H films may be due to the improvement of medium range order (MRO) of the films. During the last ten years, organic, polymer, dye sensitized and perovskites materials are also attract much attention of the photovoltaic researchers as the low budget next generation PV material worldwide. Although most important challenge for those organic solar cells in practical applications is the stability issue. In this work nc-Si:H films are successfully deposited at a high deposition rate using a high pressure and a high power by Radio Frequency Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (RF PECVD) technique. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies show the formations of distinct nano-sized grains in the amorphous tissue with sharp crystalline orientations. Light induced degradation of photoconductivity of nc-Si:H materials have been studied. Single junction solar cells and solar module were successfully fabricated using nanocrystalline silicon as absorber layer. The optimum cell is 7.1 % efficient initially. Improvement in efficiency can be achieved by optimizing the doped layer/interface and using Ag back contact.

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On the efficiency of perovskite solar cells with a back reflector: effect of a hole transport material

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics ◽

10.1039/d1cp03313a ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

F. Bonnín-Ripoll ◽

Ya. B. Martynov ◽

R. G. Nazmitdinov ◽

G. Cardona ◽

R. Pujol-Nadal

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Solar Cell ◽

Thin Film Solar Cell ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Perovskite Solar Cells ◽

Hole Transport ◽

Optimal Thickness ◽

Back Reflector

A thorough optical + electrical + Lambertian scattering analysis determines the optimal thickness of a perovskite thin-film solar cell revealing its high efficiency with inorganic HTMs.

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