Single nanowire radial junction solar cell devices were fabricated using Si nanowires synthesized by Al-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid growth of the p(+) core (Al auto-doping) and thin film deposition of the n(+)-shell at temperatures below 650 °C. Short circuit current densities of 11.7 mA cm(-2) were measured under 1-sun AM1.5G illumination, showing enhanced optical absorption. The power conversion efficiencies were limited to < 1% by the low open circuit voltage and fill factor of the devices, which was attributed to junction shunt leakage promoted by the high p(+)/n(+) doping. This demonstration of a radial junction device represents an important advance in the use of Al-catalyzed Si nanowire growth for low cost photovoltaics.

A dual-interface period-mismatched rotating rectangular grating structure was designed for crystalline silicon thin film solar cells. The relevant parameters of the grating structures were optimized, and the absorption enhancement mechanisms were also explained by optoelectronic simulation analysis. The numerical results show that the rotating rectangular structure can improve the light-trapping performance by coupling light into the c-Si film to excite the waveguide mode and localized surface plasmon resonances. Moreover, it is found that the light-trapping effect of the rear grating rotating structure is better than that of the front grating rotating structure, because the rear interface can better excite localized surface plasmon resonances. The photocurrent density of the dual-interface period-mismatched rotating rectangular grating structure is increased to 18.01 m A / c m 2 , which is 76.05% higher than that of the planar 300 nm thick c-Si structure. The research results provide general guidance for the design of grating structures for thin-film solar cells.

We propose a dual-layer split nanograting structure in crystalline silicon thin-film solar cells (TFSCs). The split nanograting is designed by introducing two partitioning factors and split times. By employing the finite-difference time-domain method, the light trapping performance and relevant parameters of TFSCs are analyzed and optimized. Numerical computation of optical and electrical simulation shows that the optimal dual-layer split nanograting structure has demonstrated great enhanced light absorption compared with the planar structure. Enhancement of the light trapping effect is associated with light coupling to waveguide modes. The short-circuit current density is reached at 21.66 m A / c m 2 with an improvement of 54.6% over the planar structure. All results provide a parting thought for the design of TFSC grating structures.

Crystalline silicon thin-film solar cells with period-mismatched sine dual-interface gratings are proposed. Several structural parameters of the front and rear gratings, such as heights, periods, and duty ratios, are optimized using the finite-difference time-domain method. The mechanisms of absorption enhancement are also illustrated by analyzing the optical and electrical performance in thin-film solar cells with different grating arrangements. Numerical results indicate that the period-mismatched sine dual-interface grating structure shows obvious improvement in absorption efficiency and is more suitable for grating structures with small period. The short-circuit current density of the period-mismatched dual-interface sine grating structure is improved to 18.89 m A / c m 2 , an increase of 41.39% as compared with the planar structure. The research findings can be utilized to guide the design of grating structures for thin-film solar cells.