Geometrical optimisation of core-shell nanowire arrays for enhanced absorption in thin crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells

Background: Elongated nanostructures, such as nanowires, have attracted significant attention for application in silicon-based solar cells. The high aspect ratio and characteristic radial junction configuration can lead to higher device performance, by increasing light absorption and, at the same time, improving the collection efficiency of...

Thin-film amorphous silicon germanium solar cells with p-and n-type hydrogenated silicon oxide layers

Mixed-phase hydrogenated silicon oxide (SiOx:H) is applied to thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon germanium (a-SiGe:H) solar cells serving as both p-doped and n-doped layers. The bandgap of p-SiOx:H is adjusted to achieve a highly-transparent window layer while also providing a strong electric field. Bandgap grading of n-SiOx:H is designed...

Quadruple-Junction Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells Using Four Different Absorber Materials

We fabricated and studied quadruple-junction wide-gap a-Si:H/narrow-gap a-Si:H/a-SiGex:H/nc-Si:H thin-film silicon solar cells. It is among the first attempts in thin-film photovoltaics to make a two-terminal solar cell with four different absorber materials. Several tunnel recombination junctions were tested, and the n-SiOx:H/p-SiOx:H structure...

Too Many Junctions?: A Case Study of Multijunction Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

The benefit of two-terminal multijunction solar cells in regard to the number<br/>of junctions (subcells) is critically evaluated. The optical and electrical losses<br/>inherent in the construction of multijunction cells are analyzed using information<br/>from thin-film silicon photovoltaics as a representative case. Although<br/>the...

Artifact Interpretation of Spectral Response Measurements on Two-Terminal Multijunction Solar Cells

Multijunction solar cells promise higher power-conversion efficiency than the single-junction. With respect to two-terminal devices, an accurate measurement of the spectral response requires a delicate adjustment of the light- and voltage-biasing; otherwise it can result in artifacts in the data and thus misinterpretation of the cell properties....

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