Effect of tapered shape on performance of silicon nanowire solar cells

Yasuyoshi Kurokawa; Shinya Kato; Makoto Konagai

doi:10.1117/12.2061291

7 October 2014 Effect of tapered shape on performance of silicon nanowire solar cells

Yasuyoshi Kurokawa, Shinya Kato, Makoto Konagai

Proceedings Volume 9178, Next Generation Technologies for Solar Energy Conversion V; 91780N (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2061291
Event: SPIE Solar Energy + Technology, 2014, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The effect of tapered shape on electrical properties of heterojunction silicon nanowire (SiNW) solar cells was simulated with a two-dimensional quantum device simulator. When the quantum effect was taken in account, opencircuit voltage (V_oc) and fill factor (FF) of heterojunction SiNW solar cells were drastically improved from 390 to 862 mV and from 0.662 to 0.795, respectively. This is due to the bandgap widening and the enhancement of electric field in the intrinsic SiNW. When a top side diameter (d₁) of the SiNW was set at 2 nm and a bottom side diameter (d₂) was varied from 2 to 6 nm, short-circuit current density (J_sc) was drastically increased from 6.96 to 30.8 mA/cm². The main reason is the absorption enhancement due to a tapered shape with a graded refractive index. Ultimately, conversion efficiency was monotonically increased with increasing d₂ in the range from 2 to 6 nm. The quantum size effect and the tapered shape can enhance conversion efficiency of heterojunction SiNW solar cells.

Citation Download Citation

Yasuyoshi Kurokawa, Shinya Kato, and Makoto Konagai "Effect of tapered shape on performance of silicon nanowire solar cells", Proc. SPIE 9178, Next Generation Technologies for Solar Energy Conversion V, 91780N (7 October 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2061291

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