Nanophotonic engineering shows great potential for photovoltaics: the record conversion efficiencies of nanowire solar cells are increasing rapidly and the record open-circuit voltages are becoming comparable to the records for planar equivalents. Furthermore, it has been suggested that certain nanophotonic effects can reduce costs and increase efficiencies with respect to planar solar cells. These effects are particularly pronounced in single-nanowire devices, where two out of the three dimensions are subwavelength. Single-nanowire devices thus provide an ideal platform to study how nanophotonics affects photovoltaics. However, for these devices the standard definition of power conversion efficiency no longer applies, because the nanowire can absorb light from an area much larger than its own size. Additionally, the thermodynamic limit on the photovoltage is unknown a priori and may be very different from that of a planar solar cell. This complicates the characterization and optimization of these devices. Here, we analyse an InP single-nanowire solar cell using intrinsic metrics to place its performance on an absolute thermodynamic scale and pinpoint performance loss mechanisms. To determine these metrics we have developed an integrating sphere microscopy set-up that enables simultaneous and spatially resolved quantitative absorption, internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) measurements. For our record single-nanowire solar cell, we measure a photocurrent collection efficiency of >90% and an open-circuit voltage of 850mV, which is 73% of the thermodynamic limit (1.16V).

Approaching the theoretically limiting open circuit voltage (V_oc) of solar cells is crucial to optimize their photovoltaic performance. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that nanostructured layers can achieve a fundamentally larger Fermi level splitting, and thus a larger V_oc, than planar layers. By etching tapered nanowires from planar indium phosphide (InP), we directly compare planar and nanophotonic geometries with the exact same material quality. We show that the external radiative efficiency of the nanostructured layer at 1 sun is increased by a factor 14 compared to the planar layer, leading to a 70 mV enhancement in V_oc. The higher voltage arises from both the enhanced outcoupling of photons, which promotes radiative recombination, and the lower active material volume, which reduces bulk recombination. These effects are generic and promise to enhance the efficiency of current record planar solar cells made from other materials as well.