Carbon-Based Solar Cell from Amorphous Carbon with Nitrogen Incorporation

Abstract

Nitrogen doped amorphous carbon (n-C:N) solar cells were successfully prepared using a simple and low cost Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method using camphor oil as a precursor. Four samples of n-C:N were deposited by varying the deposition temperature (500oC, 550oC, 600oC, 650oC). The fabricated solar cell using n-C:N with the configuration of Au/n-C:N/p-Si/Au achieved an increasing efficiency as temperature increase (0.000202% to 0.001089%). As a reference, pure a-C was deposited at 500oC and exhibit 0.000048% efficiency. The current-voltage (I-V) graph emphasized on the linear graph (ohmic) for the a-C thin films, whereas for the p-n device structure, a rectifying curve was obtained. Electrical conductitivity possesses increasing value (1.69 x 10-2 to 22 Ω-1 cm-1) due to increasing sp2 ratio in a-C as temperature increase. The rectifying curves signify the heterojunction between the n-doped a-C film and the p-Si substrate and designate the generation of electron-hole pair of the samples under illumination. Photoresponse characteristics of the deposited a-C was highlighted when being illuminated (AM 1.5 illumination: 100 mW/cm2, 25oC) and optical band gap for the nitrogen doped a-C is reported from 0.75 eV to 0.25 eV as temperature increase.

Nitrogen-Doped Amorphous Carbon Homojunction from Palmyra Sugar as a Renewable Solar Cell

“…Nitrogen gas is used as a doping source. A Solar cell sample with Au/a-C/p-Si/Au configuration when measured using a PV simulator at AM 1.5 condition obtained an efficiency of 0.000048% [26]. Carbon nanomaterials were integrated with silicon solar cells to form a CNT-Si configuration [27].…”

“…Amorphous carbon homojunction solar cells have not yet been developed by previous researchers. The main source of doping in the development of solar cells are gaseous doping sources [12,13,23,25,26], and liquid doping sources have never been used. The main source of carbon as active material is dominated by hydrocarbon compounds, and the use of carbon derived from agricultural products (biomass) has not been significantly developed.…”

The Optical Energy Gap of the Semiconducting Intrinsic Layer for Organic Solar Cell Applications

“…The research on semiconductor materials that can be applied to solar cell applications has been intensively studied by many researchers around the world. Silicon is the common material for solar cells, but silicon has several disadvantages, such as being easy to degrade, high cost, being difficult to fabricate, and sometimes needing such a harmful material for the environment while synthesizing silicon to be applied as a semiconductor layer [5]. Furthermore, the development of carbon-based materials to replace silicon has been conducted worldwide since they are cheaper for the raw material itself and easier for the fabrication process with excellent properties [6].…”

Study on Optical Energy Gap and the Thickness of Boron Doped Graphenic Carbon (B-GC) Film Prepared by Nanospray Method

“…Graphene is a two-dimensional substance comprised of sp 2 hybridized carbon that is tightly packed into a honeycomb pattern [1]. Graphene has an excellent mechanical, optical and electrical properties, which in turn leads to a much wider potential for applications in the electronics world because it is thinnest, transparent, strongest, and conductive material [2]. Graphene can be utilized as a semiconducting layer in solar cell applications due to the ability of absorbs photons from the visible to the infrared range with strong intra-band transitions and ultrafast response [3].…”