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Optical model for multilayer structures with coherent, partly coherent and incoherent layers

Santbergen, R. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

We present a novel approach for modeling the reflectance, transmittance and absorption depth profile of thin-film multilayer structures such as solar cells. Our model is based on the net-radiation method adapted for coherent calculations and is highly flexible while using a simple algorithm. We demonstrate that as a result arbitrary multilayer...

journal article 2013

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Improved light trapping in microcrystalline silicon solar cells by plasmonic back reflector with broad angular scattering and low parasitic absorption

Tan, H. (author), Sivec, L. (author), Yan, B. (author), Santbergen, R. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

We show experimentally that the photocurrent of thin-film hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (?c-Si:H) solar cells can be enhanced by 4.5?mA/cm2 with a plasmonic back reflector (BR). The light trapping performance is improved using plasmonic BR with broader angular scattering and lower parasitic absorption loss through tuning the size of...

journal article 2013

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Structural and electrical properties of metastable defects in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

Melskens, J. (author), Schnegg, A. (author), Baldansuren, A. (author), Lips, K. (author), Plokker, M.P. (author), Eijt, S.W.H. (author), Schut, H. (author), Fischer, M. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

The structural and electrical properties of metastable defects in various types of hydrogenated amorphous silicon have been studied using a powerful combination of continuous wave electron-paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, electron spin echo (ESE) decay measurements, and Doppler broadening positron annihilation spectroscopy. The observed...

journal article 2015

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Size control, quantum confinement, and oxidation kinetics of silicon nanocrystals synthesized at a high rate by expanding thermal plasma

Han, L. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

The growth mechanism of silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) synthesized at a high rate by means of expanding thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition technique are studied in this letter. A bimodal Gaussian size distribution is revealed from the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images, and routes to reduce the unwanted large Si NCs are...

journal article 2015

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The role of oxide interlayers in back reflector configurations for amorphous silicon solar cells

Demontis, V. (author), Sanna, C. (author), Melskens, J. (author), Santbergen, R. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author), Damiano, A. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

Thin oxide interlayers are commonly added to the back reflector of thin-film silicon solar cells to increase their current. To gain more insight in the enhancement mechanism, we tested different back reflector designs consisting of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) and/or hydrogenated silicon oxide (SiOx:H) interlayers with different metals ...

journal article 2013

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Raman Study of Laser Induced Heating Effects in Free-Standing Silicon Nanocrystals

Han, L. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

This paper demonstrates that free-standing silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) have significantly different thermal conductivity properties compared to Si NCs embedded in a host matrix. The temperatures of Si NCs under laser illumination have been determined by measuring the ratio of the Anti-Stokes to Stokes intensities of the first order Si–Si...

journal article 2015

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Micro-textures for efficient light trapping and improved electrical performance in thin-film nanocrystalline silicon solar cells

Tan, H. (author), Psomadaki, E. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Fischer, M. (author), Babal, P. (author), Vasudevan, R.A. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

journal article 2013

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Enhancing the driving field for plasmonic nanoparticles in thin-film solar cells

Santbergen, R. (author), Hairen, T. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

The scattering cross-section of a plasmonic nanoparticle is proportional to the intensity of the electric field that drives the plasmon resonance. In this work we determine the driving field pattern throughout a complete thin-film silicon solar cell. Our simulations reveal that by tuning of the thicknesses of silicon and transparent conductive...

journal article 2014

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Quadruple-junction thin-film silicon-based solar cells with high open-circuit voltage

Si, F.T. (author), Kim, D. (author), Santbergen, R. (author), Tan, H. (author), Van Swaaij, R.A.C.M.M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

journal article 2014

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Temperature dependency of the silicon heterojunction lifetime model based on the amphoteric nature of dangling bonds

Vasudevan, R.A. (author), Poli, I. (author), Deligiannis, D. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

This work adapts a model to simulate the carrier injection dependent minority carrier lifetime of crystalline silicon passivated with hydrogenated amorphous silicon at elevated temperatures. Two existing models that respectively calculate the bulk lifetime and surface recombination velocity are used and the full temperature dependency of...

journal article 2016

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Migration of Open Volume Deficiencies in Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon during Annealing

Melskens, J. (author), Eijt, S.W.H. (author), Schouten, M. (author), Vullers, A.S. (author), Mannheim, Awital (author), Schut, H. (author), Macco, Bart (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

The nanostructure of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is studied by means of doppler broadening positron annihilation spectroscopy (DB-PAS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The evolution of open volume deficiencies is monitored during annealing, demonstrating that small vacancies and other small vacancy clusters that...

journal article 2017

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New insights into the nanostructure of innovative thin film solar cells gained by positron annihilation spectroscopy

Eijt, S.W.H. (author), Shi, W. (author), Mannheim, A. (author), Butterling, M. (author), Schut, H. (author), Egger, W (author), Dickmann, M. (author), Hugenschmidt, C (author), Shakeri, B. (author), Meulenberg, R.W. (author), Callewaert, V. (author), Saniz, R (author), Partoens, B (author), Barbiellini, B (author), Bansil, A (author), Melskens, J. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author), Kulbak, M. (author), Hodes, G. (author), Cahen, D. (author), Brück, E.H. (author)

Recent studies showed that positron annihilation methods can provide key insights into the nanostructure and electronic structure of thin film solar cells. In this study, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is applied to investigate CdSe quantum dot (QD) light absorbing layers, providing evidence of positron trapping at the...

journal article 2017

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Calculation of irradiance distribution on PV modules by combining sky and sensitivity maps

Santbergen, R. (author), Muthukumar, V.A. (author), Valckenborg, R.M.E. (author), van de Wall, W.J.A. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author), Zeman, M. (author)

Photovoltaic (PV) modules receive both direct light from the sun and scattered light from the sky, ground and nearby objects. The calculation of incident irradiance becomes complex when nearby objects cast shadows or reflect sunlight onto the PV modules. In this paper a flexible irradiance model is presented that takes all these effects into...

journal article 2017

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Light-Induced Effects on the a-Si: H/c-Si Heterointerface

Vasudevan, R.A. (author), Poli, Isabella (author), Deligiannis, D. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Light-induced effects on the minority carrier lifetime of silicon heterojunction structures are studied through multiple-exposure photoconductance decay (MEPCD). MEPCD monitors the effect of the measurement flash from a photoconductance decay setup on a sample over thousands of measurements. Varying the microstructure of the intrinsic...

journal article 2016

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A thin-film silicon/silicon hetero-junction hybrid solar cell for photoelectrochemical water-reduction applications

Vasudevan, R.A. (author), Thanawala, Zaid (author), Han, L. (author), Tan, H. (author), Buijs, Thom (author), Deligiannis, D. (author), Perez Rodriguez, P. (author), Digdaya, I.A. (author), Smith, W.A. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

A hybrid tandem solar cell consisting of a thin-film, nanocrystalline silicon top junction and a siliconheterojunction bottom junction is proposed as a supporting solar cell for photoelectrochemical applications.Tunneling recombination junction engineering is shown to be an important consideration indesigning this type of solar cell. The best...

journal article 2016

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Maximizing annual yield of bifacial photovoltaic noise barriers

Faturrochman, G.J. (author), de Jong, M.M. (author), Santbergen, R. (author), Folkerts, W. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

In this work we consider noise barriers with integrated photovoltaic modules. The novelty is that bifacial modules are considered. A full scale bifacial photovoltaic noise barrier was built and its power output was monitored. In addition we developed an advanced numerical model for predicting this power output for given weather conditions....

journal article 2018

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Advanced light management techniques for two-terminal hybrid tandem solar cells

Blanker, A.J. (author), Berendsen, P.P.A. (author), Phung, N. (author), Vroon, Z.E.A.P. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Multi-junction solar cells are considered for various applications, as they tackle various loss mechanisms for single junction solar cells. These losses include thermalization and non-absorption below the band gap. In this work, a tandem configuration comprising copper-indium-gallium-di-selenide (CIGS) and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si...

journal article 2018

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Improving the Back Surface Field on an Amorphous Silicon Carbide Thin Film Photocathode for Solar Water Splitting

Perez Rodriguez, P. (author), Cardenas-Morcoso, Drialys (author), Digdaya, I.A. (author), Mangel Raventos, A. (author), Procel Moya, P.A. (author), Isabella, O. (author), Gimenez, Sixto (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smith, W.A. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) is a promising material for photoelectrochemical water splitting owing to its relatively small band-gap energy and high chemical and optoelectrical stability. This work studies the interplay between charge-carrier separation and collection, and their injection into the electrolyte, when modifying the...

journal article 2018

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Electrochemical Oxidation of Organic Pollutants Powered by a Silicon-Based Solar Cell

Perez Rodriguez, P. (author), Maqueira Gonzalez, Carlos (author), Doekhi-Bennani, Y. (author), Rietveld, L.C. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Currently available (photo-)electrochemical technologies for water treatment establish a trade-off between low-pollutant concentration and costs. This paper aims at decoupling these two variables by designing a photo-oxidation device using earth abundant materials and an electronic-free approach. The proposed device combines a graphite...

journal article 2018

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Designing a hybrid thin-film/wafer silicon triple photovoltaic junction for solar water splitting

Perez Rodriguez, P. (author), Vijselaar, Wouter (author), Huskens, Jurriaan (author), Stam, Machiel (author), Falkenberg, M. (author), Zeman, M. (author), Smith, W.A. (author), Smets, A.H.M. (author)

Solar fuels are a promising way to store solar energy seasonally. This paper proposes an earth-abundant heterostructure to split water using a photovoltaic-electrochemical device (PV-EC). The heterostructure is based on a hybrid architecture of a thin-film (TF) silicon tandem on top of a c-Si wafer (W) heterojunction solar cell (a-Si:H (TF)...

journal article 2019