Silicon nanowire-based solar cells

Stelzner, Thomas; Pietsch, Matthias; Andrä, G.; Falk, F.; Ose, E.; Christiansen, Silke

doi:10.1088/0957-4484/19/29/295203

Cited by 412 publications

(264 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Others have reported sub-bandgap absorption in Au-catalyzed, VLS-grown Si wire arrays (up to ~0.6 at these wavelengths), and this has been primarily attributed to the presence of surface states, defects, or catalyst metal particles [3][4][5] . It is well-known that certain defects or impurities introduce energy levels or bands within a semiconductor's bandgap, and can give rise to extrinsic (trap-assisted) sub-bandgap absorption.…”

Section: Sub-bandgap Absorptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced absorption and carrier collection in Si wire arrays for photovoltaic applications

et al. 2010

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Section: Sub-bandgap Absorptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced absorption and carrier collection in Si wire arrays for photovoltaic applications

et al. 2010

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“…Nanowire arrays can potentially provide a unique advantage due to their anti-reflective and light trapping properties. Silicon NW arrays of only several microns in length have been noted for their strong broadband optical absorption and dark visual appearance [25,34]. Numerical studies on the optical properties of disordered NW arrays by diffuse scattering [35] and ordered vertical arrays by specular reflection [36] have demonstrated that NW arrays have distinct absorption spectra from their thin fi lm counterparts.…”

Section: ) Reduced Optical Reflection and Enhanced Absorptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and prospects of nanopillar-based solar cells

et al. 2009

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Materials and device architecture innovations are essential for further enhancing the performance of solar cells while potentially enabling their large-scale integration as a viable source of alternative energy. In this regard, tremendous research has been devoted in recent years with continuous progress in the fi eld. In this article, we review the recent advancements in nanopillar-based photovoltaics while discussing the future challenges and prospects. Nanopillar arrays provide unique advantages over thin fi lms in the areas of optical properties and carrier collection, arising from their three-dimensional geometry. The choice of the material system, however, is essential in order to gain the advantage of the large surface/interface area associated with nanopillars with the constraints different from those of the thin fi lm devices.

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“…In addition to factors such as material and manufacturing costs [1][2][3], novelty of non-planar solar cell architectures is grounded in the idea that some non-planar devices decouple optical and electronic path lengths [4] and, therefore, offer opportunities to alter the competing roles of charge carrier collection and recombination within a device, which limit efficiency for planar cells with low charge carrier mobility and lifetime. In recent years, a number of unconventional, non-planar solar cell designs have been proposed, and some experimentally fabricated [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], in efforts to increase energy conversion efficiencies. To date, however, the planar solar cell architecture still holds all efficiency records over its non-planar counterparts [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical device-physics framework for non-planar solar cells

Kirkpatrick

Burns

Naughton

2015

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

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Non-planar solar-cell devices have been promoted as a means to enhance current collection in absorber materials with charge-transport limitations. This work presents an analytical framework for assessing the ultimate performance of non-planar solar-cells based on materials and geometry. Herein, the physics of the p-n junction is analyzed for low-injection conditions, when the junction can be considered spatially separable into quasi-neutral and space-charge regions. For the conventional planar solar cell architecture, previously established one-dimensional expressions governing charge carrier transport are recovered from the framework established herein. Space-charge region recombination statistics are compared for planar and non-planar geometries, showing variations in recombination current produced from the space-charge region. In addition, planar and non-planar solar cell performance are simulated, based on a semi-empirical expression for short-circuit current, detailing variations in charge carrier transport and efficiency as a function of geometry, thereby yielding insights into design criteria for solar cell architectures. For the conditions considered here, the expressions for generation rate and total current are shown to universally govern any solar cell geometry, while recombination within the spacecharge region is shown to be directly dependent on the geometrical orientation of the p-n junction.

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Silicon nanowire-based solar cells

Cited by 412 publications

References 13 publications

Enhanced absorption and carrier collection in Si wire arrays for photovoltaic applications

Enhanced absorption and carrier collection in Si wire arrays for photovoltaic applications

Challenges and prospects of nanopillar-based solar cells

Analytical device-physics framework for non-planar solar cells

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