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Chaudhry FA, Escandell L, López-Fraguas E, Vergaz R, Sánchez-Pena JM, García-Cámara B. Light absorption enhancement in thin film GaAs solar cells using dielectric nanoparticles. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9240. [PMID: 35655090 PMCID: PMC9163027 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13418-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cost-effective and lightweight solar cells are currently demanded in strategic fields such as space applications or integrated-wearable devices. A reduction of the active layer thickness, producing thin-film devices, has been a traditional solution to accomplish both requirements. However, this solution also reduces the efficiency of the device. For this reason, alternative strategies are being proposed. In this work, light trapping effects of an array of semiconductor nanoparticles located on the top surface of a thin-film GaAs solar cell are investigated to improve the optical absorption and current density in active layer, under the standard AM-1.5 solar spectrum. The numerical results are compared with other previous proposals such as an aluminum nanoparticle array, as well as conventional solar cells with and without a standard anti-reflective coating (ARC). The inclusion of semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) shows an improved response of the solar cells at different angles of incidence in comparison to solar cell with an ARC. Furthermore, the efficiency increases a 10% respect to the aluminum nanoparticles (NPs) architecture, and a 21% and a 30% respect to solar cells with and without ARC, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fateh A Chaudhry
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorena Escandell
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo López-Fraguas
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Vergaz
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Manuel Sánchez-Pena
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Braulio García-Cámara
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain.
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2
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Kao YC, Chou HM, Hsu SC, Lin A, Lin CC, Shih ZH, Chang CL, Hong HF, Horng RH. Performance comparison of III-V//Si and III-V//InGaAs multi-junction solar cells fabricated by the combination of mechanical stacking and wire bonding. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4308. [PMID: 30867491 PMCID: PMC6416321 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40727-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The integration of III–V and Si multi-junction solar cells as photovoltaic devices has been studied in order to achieve high photovoltaic conversion efficiency. However, large differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion and the lattice parameters of GaAs, Si, and InGaAs have made it difficult to obtain high-efficiency solar cells grown as epilayers on Si and InP substrates. In this paper, two types of devices, including GaInP/GaAs stacked on Si (GaInP/GaAs//Si) and GaInP/GaAs stacked on InGaAs (GaInP/GaAs//InGaAs), are fabricated via mechanical stacking and wire bonding technologies. Mechanically stacked GaInP/GaAs//Si and GaInP/GaAs//InGaAs triple-junction solar cells are prepared via glue bonding. Current-voltage measurements of the two samples are made at room temperature. The short-circuit current densities of the GaInP/GaAs//Si and GaInP/GaAs//InGaAs solar cells are 13.37 and 13.66 mA/cm2, while the open-circuit voltages of these two samples are measured to be 2.71 and 2.52 V, respectively. After bonding the GaInP/GaAs dual-junction with the Si and InGaAs solar cells, the conversion efficiency is relatively improved by 32.6% and 30.9%, respectively, compared to the efficiency of the GaInP/GaAs dual-junction solar cell alone. This study demonstrates the high potential of combining mechanical stacked with wire bonding and ITO films to achieve high conversion efficiency in solar cells with three or more junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Cheng Kao
- Graduate Institute of Precision Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hao-Ming Chou
- Institute of Electronics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Shun-Chieh Hsu
- Institute of Photonic System, National Chiao Tung University, Tainan, 71150, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Albert Lin
- Institute of Electronics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chien-Chung Lin
- Institute of Photonic System, National Chiao Tung University, Tainan, 71150, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Zun-Hao Shih
- Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER), Atomic Energy Council, Executive Yuan, Taoyuan, 32546, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chun-Ling Chang
- Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER), Atomic Energy Council, Executive Yuan, Taoyuan, 32546, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hwen-Fen Hong
- Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER), Atomic Energy Council, Executive Yuan, Taoyuan, 32546, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Ray-Hua Horng
- Graduate Institute of Precision Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan, Republic of China. .,Institute of Electronics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan, Republic of China. .,Center for Emergent Functional Matter Science, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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3
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On the scattering directionality of a dielectric particle dimer of High Refractive Index. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7976. [PMID: 29789610 PMCID: PMC5964075 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26359-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-losses and directionality effects exhibited by High Refractive Index Dielectric particles make them attractive for applications where radiation direction control is relevant. For instance, isolated metallo-dielectric core-shell particles or aggregates (dimers) of High Refractive Index Dielectric particles have been proposed for building operational switching devices. Also, the possibility of using isolated High Refractive Index Dielectric particles for optimizing solar cells performance has been explored. Here, we present experimental evidence in the microwave range, that a High Refractive Index Dielectric dimer of spherical particles is more efficient for redirecting the incident radiation in the forward direction than the isolated case. In fact, we report two spectral regions in the dipolar spectral range where the incident intensity is mostly scattered in the forward direction. They correspond to the Zero-Backward condition (also observed for isolated particles) and to a new condition, denoted as "near Zero-Backward" condition, which comes from the interaction effects between the particles. The proposed configuration has implications in solar energy harvesting devices and in radiation guiding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosei Ueno
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Tomoya Oshikiri
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Quan Sun
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Xu Shi
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Misawa
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
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5
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Enhanced Conversion Efficiency of III-V Triple-junction Solar Cells with Graphene Quantum Dots. Sci Rep 2016; 6:39163. [PMID: 27982073 PMCID: PMC5159817 DOI: 10.1038/srep39163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Graphene has been used to synthesize graphene quantum dots (GQDs) via pulsed laser ablation. By depositing the synthesized GQDs on the surface of InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells, the short-circuit current, fill factor, and conversion efficiency were enhanced remarkably. As the GQD concentration is increased, the conversion efficiency in the solar cell increases accordingly. A conversion efficiency of 33.2% for InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells has been achieved at the GQD concentration of 1.2 mg/ml, corresponding to a 35% enhancement compared to the cell without GQDs. On the basis of time-resolved photoluminescence, external quantum efficiency, and work-function measurements, we suggest that the efficiency enhancement in the InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells is primarily caused by the carrier injection from GQDs to the InGaP top subcell.
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Bai Y, Yan L, Wang J, Su L, Yin Z, Chen N, Liu Y. Enhancing the Photocurrent of Top-Cell by Ellipsoidal Silver Nanoparticles: Towards Current-Matched GaInP/GaInAs/Ge Triple-Junction Solar Cells. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2016; 6:E98. [PMID: 28335225 PMCID: PMC5302639 DOI: 10.3390/nano6060098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A way to increase the photocurrent of top-cell is crucial for current-matched and highly-efficient GaInP/GaInAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells. Herein, we demonstrate that ellipsoidal silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with better extinction performance and lower fabrication temperature can enhance the light harvest of GaInP/GaInAs/Ge solar cells compared with that of spherical Ag NPs. In this method, appropriate thermal treatment parameters for Ag NPs without inducing the dopant diffusion of the tunnel-junction plays a decisive role. Our experimental and theoretical results confirm the ellipsoidal Ag NPs annealed at 350 °C show a better extinction performance than the spherical Ag NPs annealed at 400 °C. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the device with ellipsoidal Ag NPs reaches 31.02%, with a nearly 5% relative improvement in comparison with the device without Ag NPs (29.54%). This function of plasmonic NPs has the potential to solve the conflict of sufficient light absorption and efficient carrier collection in GaInP top-cell devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Lingling Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Jun Wang
- Institute of Information Photonics and Optical Communications, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China.
| | - Lin Su
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Zhigang Yin
- Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 912, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Nuofu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 912, Beijing 100083, China.
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Zhang Y, Cai B, Jia B. Ultraviolet Plasmonic Aluminium Nanoparticles for Highly Efficient Light Incoupling on Silicon Solar Cells. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2016; 6:E95. [PMID: 28335223 PMCID: PMC5302622 DOI: 10.3390/nano6060095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 05/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Plasmonic metal nanoparticles supporting localized surface plasmon resonances have attracted a great deal of interest in boosting the light absorption in solar cells. Among the various plasmonic materials, the aluminium nanoparticles recently have become a rising star due to their unique ultraviolet plasmonic resonances, low cost, earth-abundance and high compatibility with the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing process. Here, we report some key factors that determine the light incoupling of aluminium nanoparticles located on the front side of silicon solar cells. We first numerically study the scattering and absorption properties of the aluminium nanoparticles and the influence of the nanoparticle shape, size, surface coverage and the spacing layer on the light incoupling using the finite difference time domain method. Then, we experimentally integrate 100-nm aluminium nanoparticles on the front side of silicon solar cells with varying silicon nitride thicknesses. This study provides the fundamental insights for designing aluminium nanoparticle-based light trapping on solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinan Zhang
- Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia.
| | - Boyuan Cai
- Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Baohua Jia
- Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia.
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Kim HS, Patel M, Park HH, Ray A, Jeong C, Kim J. Thermally Stable Silver Nanowires-Embedding Metal Oxide for Schottky Junction Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:8662-8669. [PMID: 26971560 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b12732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Thermally stable silver nanowires (AgNWs)-embedding metal oxide was applied for Schottky junction solar cells without an intentional doping process in Si. A large scale (100 mm(2)) Schottky solar cell showed a power conversion efficiency of 6.1% under standard illumination, and 8.3% under diffused illumination conditions which is the highest efficiency for AgNWs-involved Schottky junction Si solar cells. Indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-capped AgNWs showed excellent thermal stability with no deformation at 500 °C. The top ITO layer grew in a cylindrical shape along the AgNWs, forming a teardrop shape. The design of ITO/AgNWs/ITO layers is optically beneficial because the AgNWs generate plasmonic photons, due to the AgNWs. Electrical investigations were performed by Mott-Schottky and impedance spectroscopy to reveal the formation of a single space charge region at the interface between Si and AgNWs-embedding ITO layer. We propose a route to design the thermally stable AgNWs for photoelectric device applications with investigation of the optical and electrical aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Sik Kim
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL) and Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University , 119 Academy Road Yeonsu, Incheon 406772, Republic of Korea
| | - Malkeshkumar Patel
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL) and Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University , 119 Academy Road Yeonsu, Incheon 406772, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeong-Ho Park
- Applied Device and Material Lab., Device Technology Division, Korea Advanced Nano Fab Center (KANC) , Suwon 443270, Republic of Korea
| | - Abhijit Ray
- Solar Research and Development Center, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University , Gandhinagar 382007, Gujarat, India
| | - Chaehwan Jeong
- Applied Optics and Energy Research Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology , Gwangju 500480, Republic of Korea
| | - Joondong Kim
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL) and Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University , 119 Academy Road Yeonsu, Incheon 406772, Republic of Korea
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Miyano M, Kitagawa Y, Wada S, Kawashima A, Nakajima A, Nakanishi T, Ishioka J, Shibayama T, Watanabe S, Hasegawa Y. Photophysical properties of luminescent silicon nanoparticles surface-modified with organic molecules via hydrosilylation. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2016; 15:99-104. [DOI: 10.1039/c5pp00364d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Luminescent silicon nanoparticles with a π-electron system are expected to be an important factor for creating strongly luminous silicon nanoparticles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Miyano
- Faculty of Engineering
- Hokkaido University
- Sapporo
- Japan
| | | | - Satoshi Wada
- Faculty of Engineering
- Hokkaido University
- Sapporo
- Japan
| | | | | | | | - Junya Ishioka
- Faculty of Engineering
- Hokkaido University
- Sapporo
- Japan
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