Electrical properties of p-type and n-type doped inverse silicon opals - towards optically amplified silicon solar cells

Suezaki, Takashi; Chen, J. I. L.; Hatayama, Tomoaki; Fuyuki, Takashi; Ozin, Geoffrey A.

doi:10.1063/1.3447374

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Takashi's group demonstrated that the inverse crystalline Si opal (abbreviated as i‐cSi‐o), with its three‐dimensional open structure, has a comparable electrical conductivity to bulk crystalline Si. In addition, such a structure can effectively trap light via slow photons and/or prolong life time of minority charge carriers through inhibition of their recombination by the omnidirectional photonic bandgap . In another work, the authors evaluated the spectral response for the electrical properties of i‐cSi‐o with 600 nm and 280 nm sphere diameter templates and observed a slow photon enhanced photoconductivity ( Figure ).…”

Section: The Slow‐photon Effect In Photonic Crystals For Solar‐energymentioning

confidence: 99%

Slow Photons for Photocatalysis and Photovoltaics

et al. 2017

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Solar light is widely recognized as one of the most valuable renewable energy sources for the future. However, the development of solar-energy technologies is severely hindered by poor energy-conversion efficiencies due to low optical-absorption coefficients and low quantum-conversion yield of current-generation materials. Huge efforts have been devoted to investigating new strategies to improve the utilization of solar energy. Different chemical and physical strategies have been used to extend the spectral range or increase the conversion efficiency of materials, leading to very promising results. However, these methods have now begun to reach their limits. What is therefore the next big concept that could efficiently be used to enhance light harvesting? Despite its discovery many years ago, with the potential for becoming a powerful tool for enhanced light harvesting, the slow-photon effect, a manifestation of light-propagation control due to photonic structures, has largely been overlooked. This review presents theoretical as well as experimental progress on this effect, revealing that the photoreactivity of materials can be dramatically enhanced by exploiting slow photons. It is predicted that successful implementation of this strategy may open a very promising avenue for a broad spectrum of light-energy-conversion technologies.

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Section: The Slow‐photon Effect In Photonic Crystals For Solar‐energymentioning

confidence: 99%

Slow Photons for Photocatalysis and Photovoltaics

et al. 2017

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“…Furthermore, even if the surfaces of the PC can be sufficiently passivated, electron scattering from these surfaces will reduce carrier mobility and increase the series resistance in the cell. 30 Deterred charge transport and increased recombination losses will weaken the validity of the assumption that each photon absorbed in the μc-Si:H cell generates and contributes one electron to the output current. However, in this initial study we have neglected the electrical transport issues associated with the inverted μc-Si:H opal and have upheld this assumption in order to fairly compare the optical behaviour of the four micromorph cells considered herein.…”

Section: The μC-si:h Cell Within the Micromorph Structured In The Formentioning

confidence: 98%

Integrating photonic crystals in thin film silicon photovoltaics

et al. 2010

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Wave-optics analysis is performed to investigate the benefits of integrating photonic crystals into micromorph cells. Specifically, we theoretically investigate two novel micromorph cells which integrate photonic crystals and compare their optical performance with that of conventional micromorph cells. In the first innovative micromorph cell configuration the intermediate reflector is a selectively transparent and conducting photonic crystal (STCPC). In the second micromorph cell its bottom µc-Si:H cell is structured in the form of an inverted opal. Our results show that with the AM1.5 solar spectrum at normal incidence the current generated in a conventional micromorph cell is increased from 12.1 mA/cm 2 to 13.0 mA/cm 2 when the bottom μc-Si:H cell is structured in the form of an inverted opal. However, the current generated in the micromorph cell can be increased to as much as 13.7 mA/cm 2 when an STCPC is utilized as the intermediate reflector. Furthermore, the thickness of the μc-Si:H opal must be relatively large in order to absorb a sufficient amount of the solar irradiance, which is expected to degrade the electrical performance of the device. In contrast, our results suggest that STCPC intermediate reflectors are a viable technology that could potentially enhance the performance of micromorph cells.

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“…Conductive inverted opals from silicon, ZnO, and Al-doped ZnO were fabricated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) using silica or polymer opals as templates [70,88,89]. Thus, photonic structures could be integrated directly in silicon solar cells [90,91]. The combination of self-assembling monodisperse colloids and replication of the resulting opals with vapor deposition methods enables the fabrication of reflection layers with relative ease especially on large substrates.…”

Section: Self-organizing Photonic Crystalsmentioning

confidence: 99%