Silicon quantum dot solar cell using top-down approach

Abstract

The current trend of research in the area of third-generation photovoltaics is to increase the efficiency of solar cell device adopting alternate and novel ways such as use of quantum dots to absorb maximum solar spectrum. A new and low-cost top-down approach to fabricate silicon quantum dot solar cell (QDSC) using spin coating of Si QDs embedded in flowable oxide is proposed. Si QDs with diameter smaller than 8 nm were synthesized using topdown approach by ultrasonication of freestanding porous silicon films obtained by anodization of Si. Systematic measurements of current density-voltage (J-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) were carried out. The QDSC exhibits photovoltaic effect, hysteresis in C-V characteristics and improved EQE performance in short wavelength as compared with a reference c-Si cell with same structure, but without QD layer. The novelty and simplicity of the QDSC fabrication process make these results important.

Modelling solar cell S-shaped I-V characteristics with DC lumped-parameter equivalent circuits a review

“…It might be noticed that eliminating the shunt conductance loss (letting G P =1/R P 0) does revert (5) back into (2), as it should, but does not allow to directly convert (6) into (3).…”

“…Most well-established conventional solar cells under illumination exhibit the type of generic I-V characteristics that can be satisfactorily represented under steady state by the equivalent electrical behaviour of some of the conventional dc lumped-parameter circuit models that are shown in Fig.1 [1]. However, there are innovative developmental or still experimental solar cells, such as some of those based on binary and ternary compound semiconductors, non-crystalline hetero-junctions [2], novel silicon quantum dot solar cells [3], others based on perovskite semiconductors [4][5][6], and most notably organic semiconductor-based solar cells [7][8][9], that might exhibit under certain circumstances undesirable deformations of their illuminated I-V characteristics that impair their energy conversion capacity.…”

An Analytical Solution to Lumped Parameter Equivalent Circuit Model of Organic Solar Cells

“…Compared with the conventional silicon-based solar cells, organic solar cells (OSCs) [1,2], as promising candidates for next generation solar cells [3][4][5][6], show many advantages in intensive researches, such as low temperature preparation [2], flexibility [7], and so on. However, as the important physical phenomena, S-shaped kink exhibits in I-V characteristics of OSCs, especially for the polymer OSCs [7][8][9].…”