Ultra‐thin silicon solar cell: Modelling and characterisation

Abstract

An ultra‐thin crystalline silicon solar cell with an active silicon layer of 200 nm has been fabricated and fully characterised electrically (I‐V characteristic, spectral response) and optically (Variable Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometry). Interference effects were observed in the spectral response of the cell due to multiple reflections from the layers within the cell. A mathematical model was developed to account for the different reflections and transmission within the cell which reproduced excellently the essential features of the experimental spectral response. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

High performance thin crystalline silicon solar cell grown on silicon-on-insulator

“…We expect higher Voc values with a passivation layer, a thinner emitter, top contact annealing and the optimal substrate concentration. Short circuit current densities are above 20mAlcm 2 • The efficiencies of 6 to 8% are a substantial increase from the 0.12% previous work by others [5).…”

“…Danos, et ai, used a sal substrate to grow nand p Si (O.2lJm) on the BOx in a lateral geometry. By only using the device layer, a low current (0.065mA) was achieved with nand p contacts on the top surface, using the BOx as a support layer and reflector [5]. The potential of the BOx is explored in this work where we pattern the BOx layer to use its optical and electrical properties in a 20 configuration.…”

Excitation energy transfer rate from Langmuir Blodgett (LB) dye monolayers to silicon: Effect of aggregate formation

“…Since this energy transfer occurs from a localised state, no strict momentum conservation restricts electron transition in the semiconductor, opening the way for efficient light harvesting and sensitisation by directed energy transfer for indirect gap semiconductors such as silicon solar cells [3,4]. A number of studies on the excited energy pathways of dye molecules near semiconductors have been carried out using steady-state fluorescence [5][6][7] and time-resolved measurements [8][9][10][11] in the past.…”

Kelvin probe studies of alkyl monolayers on silicon (111) for surface passivation

“…12,13 This allows for new concepts such as light harvesting 14 and upconversion 15,16 to be incorporated into a device. 17 The system investigated in this paper would be an attractive route for surface passivation, and it is therefore of importance to understand these surfaces in detail.…”