Passivating contacts for silicon solar cells with 800 °C stability based on tunnel-oxide and highly crystalline thin silicon layer

Recently, surface plasmons have been employed in a variety of methods to increase the efficiency of solar cells. Surface plasmons are oscillations of electrons that arise from surface effects of light interaction with materials that have appreciable free carrier densities; their resonance is confined to a region that depends on the dielectric response of the medium. It has been observed that noble metals exhibit this resonance within visible- near IR range, making them an attractive candidate for silicon solar cells whose primary absorption bands are in this region. Research in silicon-based plasmonic solar cells has utilized the high scattering cross section and favorable angular distributions of noble metal nanoparticle-scattered radiation to increase absorption of thin silicon devices, which are normally weakly absorbing for photons of energy below 2 eV. The interaction is subject to interface effects, interferences of scattered and incident radiation, and the dielectric nature of the embedding medium or surface. In addition, perturbations caused by the longitudinal field of the metal nanoparticle may theoretically enhance the direct interband transitions of free carriers near the particle surface, further enhancing the photocurrent. This latter possibility has yet to be fully explored experimentally in crystalline silicon photovoltaics.

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Textured surface may boost power output of thin silicon solar cells

Highlights ◽

10.4053/hi691-120613 ◽

2013 ◽

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Power Output ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Textured Surface ◽

Thin Silicon

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Thin Silicon Solar Cells

Practical Handbook of Photovoltaics ◽

10.1016/b978-185617390-2/50010-6 ◽

2003 ◽

pp. 185-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Michael Mauk ◽

Paul Sims ◽

James Rand ◽

Allen Barnett

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Thin Silicon

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Investigating Voltage as a Function of the Reduced Junction Area for Thin Silicon Solar Cells That Utilize Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth

IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics ◽

10.1109/jphotov.2012.2211999 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 119-124

Author(s):

Ruiying Hao ◽

C. Paola Murcia ◽

Christopher Leitz ◽

Andrew P. Gerger ◽

Anthony Lochtefeld ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Junction Area ◽

Lateral Overgrowth ◽

Thin Silicon

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Low Stress Encapsulants? Influence of Encapsulation Materials on Stress and Fracture of Thin Silicon Solar Cells as Revealed by Synchrotron X-ray Submicron Diffraction

Procedia Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.proeng.2015.09.230 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 139 ◽

pp. 76-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Karthic Narayanan Rengarajan ◽

Ihor Radchenko ◽

Gregoria Illya ◽

Vincent Handara ◽

Martin Kunz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

X Ray ◽

Thin Silicon

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Light Trapping Concepts for Enhanced Absorption in Thin Silicon Solar Cells

Light, Energy and the Environment ◽

10.1364/pv.2014.pw4c.4 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

M. Zeman ◽

A. Ingenito ◽

H. Tan ◽

D.N.P. Linssen ◽

R. Santbergen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar Cells ◽

Light Trapping ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Enhanced Absorption ◽

Thin Silicon

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Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells With Silver Nanoparticles Embedded Inside the Absorber Layer

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-1245-a07-20 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1245 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rudi Santbergen ◽

Renrong Liang ◽

Miro Zeman

Keyword(s):

Silver Nanoparticles ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Amorphous Silicon ◽

Metal Nanoparticles ◽

Light Trapping ◽

Silicon Layer ◽

Absorber Layer ◽

Silicon Solar Cells ◽

Bottom Part ◽

Embedded Particles

AbstractA novel light trapping technique for solar cells is based on light scattering by metal nanoparticles through excitation of localized surface plasmons. We investigated the effect of metal nanoparticles embedded inside the absorber layer of amorphous silicon solar cells on the cell performance. The position of the particles inside the absorber layer was varied. Transmission electron microscopy images of the cell devices showed well defined silver nanoparticles, indicating that they survive the embedding procedure. The optical absorption of samples where the silver nanoparticles were embedded in thin amorphous silicon layer showed an enhancement peak around the plasmon resonance of 800 nm. The embedded particles significantly reduce the performance of the fabricated devices. We attribute this to the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers in the absorber layer induced by the presence of the silver nanoparticles. Finally we demonstrate that the fabricated solar cells exhibit tandem-like behavior where the silver nanoparticles separate the absorber layer into a top and bottom part.

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