Effect of plasmonic Aluminum nanoparticles shapes on optical absorption enhancement in silicon thin-film solar cells

Abstract

Scattering from metal nanoparticles near their localized plasmon resonance; especially, the resonances of noble metals which are mostly in the visible or infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum; is a way of improving light absorption in thin-film solar cells. The surface plasmon resonance can be affected by different factors such as the type, size, shape, and dielectric properties of the surrounding medium. Here we investigate, using the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method, how different shapes of aluminum nanoparticles affect absorption enhancement in silicon thin-film solar cells. Our results show that using these particles more than 30% conversion efficiency for plasmonic solar cells can be achieved compared to a cell without particles. We have also found that although the spherical particles have the highest absorption peak, optimization of some parameters such as the height of the cylinder or disk-shaped particles and their distance from the substrate can increase the absorption. The results can provide more information and insight to understand and optimize plasmonic particles for solar cell applications.