NOEL

High-efficiency photo-electron conversion devices

 

High-efficiency photo-electron conversion devices

Ultra-high sensitive CdS photodetector

Silicon-based broadband photodetector

Silicon-based solar cells

Organic solar cells

Semiconductor processes and nanofabrication

Characterizations and applications of nanomaterials

Light harvesting and light extraction

Optical analysis techniques

Eco-friendly devices and sensors

 

 


 

 

 

Optimizing surface plasmon resonance effects on finger electrodes to enhance the efficiency of silicon-based solar cells

In this paper we demonstrate a technique for improving the conversion efficiency in conventional silicon
solar cells by using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects to harvest incident light energy over metal
finger electrodes. According to three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (3D-FDTD) analysis,
incident light covering a broad bandwidth of the solar spectrum can be transmitted through metallic
hole array structures. Although the light absorption region beneath the metal finger electrodes cannot
generate a photocurrent, in this study, we employ the extraordinary transmission (EOT) phenomenon,
due to SPR effects, to dramatically increase the degree of light harvesting below the metal electrodes
and, thereby, improve the efficiency of the entire solar cell. Experimental data reveal that the excess
photocurrent density was approximately 190% of the normal current density of a standard solar cell.
Therefore, the negative effect of covering the absorption area with opaque metal finger electrodes can
be minimized or eliminated completely by taking advantage of the SPR effect of the metal electrodes.


Schematic representation of a tested device. (a) Cross-sectional view of a device featuring a metal hole array, for the SPR effect, on the Al electrode. (b) Top view of a device for mimicking a conventional solar cell; (left) the opaque metal finger electrodes are colored gray; expanded inset (right): design of the electrode for the suggested SPR effect.


a) Layout of the 3D-FDTD simulation, placing Detectors 1–3 at the air–Al interface, 100 nm below the air–Al interface, and at the SiO2–Si interface, respectively. (b)–(d) Calculated behavior of the H02P04, H03P06, and H04P08 devices, respectively, toward incident light passing through the metal hole arrays. The intensity at the transmitted peaks decreased from Detector 1 to Detector 3, but the transmitted intensity of light having wavelengths less than the transmitted peak wavelength remained almost unchanged.
 
 
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