Advanced electro-optical simulation of nanowire-based solar cells

Zanuccoli, Mauro; Semenihin, Igor; Michallon, Jérôme; Sangiorgi, Enrico; Fiegna, Claudio

doi:10.1007/s10825-013-0516-1

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The optical databases were taken from [ 20 , 45 , 46 ], G Rey et al ., unpublished work] for ZnO, CdTe, CuSCN, and FTO, respectively. The 3D monochromatic generation rate was averaged over a circle perimeter following the procedure of [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement of the physical properties of ZnO/CdTe core-shell nanowire arrays by CdCl2 heat treatment for solar cells

et al. 2014

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CdTe is an important compound semiconductor for solar cells, and its use in nanowire-based heterostructures may become a critical requirement, owing to the potential scarcity of tellurium. The effects of the CdCl2 heat treatment are investigated on the physical properties of vertically aligned ZnO/CdTe core-shell nanowire arrays grown by combining chemical bath deposition with close space sublimation. It is found that recrystallization phenomena are induced by the CdCl2 heat treatment in the CdTe shell composed of nanograins: its crystallinity is improved while grain growth and texture randomization occur. The presence of a tellurium crystalline phase that may decorate grain boundaries is also revealed. The CdCl2 heat treatment further favors the chlorine doping of the CdTe shell with the formation of chlorine A-centers and can result in the passivation of grain boundaries. The absorption properties of ZnO/CdTe core-shell nanowire arrays are highly efficient, and more than 80% of the incident light can be absorbed in the spectral range of the solar irradiance. The resulting photovoltaic properties of solar cells made from ZnO/CdTe core-shell nanowire arrays covered with CuSCN/Au back-side contact are also improved after the CdCl2 heat treatment. However, recombination and trap phenomena are expected to operate, and the collection of the holes that are mainly photo-generated in the CdTe shell from the CuSCN/Au back-side contact is presumably identified as the main critical point in these solar cells.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement of the physical properties of ZnO/CdTe core-shell nanowire arrays by CdCl2 heat treatment for solar cells

et al. 2014

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“…In the last years the simulation approach moved from 1D to 2D or 3D simulations, both for more accuracy and for particular architecture analysis, along with the increasing computational power available. The possibility to change every fabrication parameter in a wide range of values and to simulate numerically the actual performance is a strong enhancement in the design process [6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical simulation of the impact of design parameters on the performance of back-contact back-junction solar cell

et al. 2015

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This work presents a study based on electro-optical numerical simulations of the impact of geometrical and doping parameters on main figures of merit of crystalline silicon back-contact back-junction solar cells. State-of-the-art physical models in combination with two-dimensional simulations performed by a TCAD tool have been adopted to carry out an extensive and detailed analysis of the influence of many fabrication parameters on performance. The studied design parameters are the doping level in front surface field (FSF), back surface field (BSF) and emitter, and the main geometrical parameters. A doping level value that allows the maximization of the efficiency for the three regions can be clearly identified. In particular, for BSF and emitter, an efficiency degradation is observed for relatively lower doping values and is ascribed to the higher contact recombination while for higher doping values the Auger recombination plays a significant role in reducing the ultimate efficiency. In FSF region the recombination due to defects at the front interface is the main limiting mechanisms for efficiency. On the basis of our analysis, a marked sensitivity of the efficiency to the gap and pitch size is caused by the series resistance increase. The efficiency exhibits a maximum value for an emitter coverage fraction (R) of 85 %. However, in the case of lower emitter coverage, Auger, Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH): in bulk and at interfaces are detrimental for the cell conversion efficiency

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“…Optical properties of the structure are investigated using Sentaurus Electromagnetic Wave (EMW) Solver module package. The axially connected NW core-shell p-n junctions are theoretically analyzed by using 3-D FDTD simulations [24][25][26]. The minimum cell size of the FDTD mesh is set to 5 nm, and the number of nodes per wavelength is 20 in all directions.…”

Section: Simulation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Axially connected nanowire core-shell p-n junctions: a composite structure for high-efficiency solar cells

Wang¹,

Yan²,

Zhang³

et al. 2016

Nano Online

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A composite nanostructure for high-efficiency solar cells that axially connects nanowire core-shell p-n junctions is proposed. By axially connecting the p-n junctions in one nanowire, the solar spectrum is separated and absorbed in the top and bottom cells with respect to the wavelength. The unique structure of nanowire p-n junctions enables substantial light absorption along the nanowire and efficient radial carrier separation and collection. A coupled three-dimensional optoelectronic simulation is used to evaluate the performance of the structure. With an excellent current matching, a promising efficiency of 19.9% can be achieved at a low filling ratio of 0.283 (the density of the nanowire array), which is much higher than the tandem axial p-n junctions.

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Advanced electro-optical simulation of nanowire-based solar cells

Cited by 19 publications

References 43 publications

Improvement of the physical properties of ZnO/CdTe core-shell nanowire arrays by CdCl2 heat treatment for solar cells

Improvement of the physical properties of ZnO/CdTe core-shell nanowire arrays by CdCl2 heat treatment for solar cells

Numerical simulation of the impact of design parameters on the performance of back-contact back-junction solar cell

Axially connected nanowire core-shell p-n junctions: a composite structure for high-efficiency solar cells

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