TY - GEN
T1 - Single-nanowire Si solar cells
AU - Kelzenberg, M. D.
AU - Turner-Evans, D. B.
AU - Kayes, B. M.
AU - Filler, M. A.
AU - Putnam, M. C.
AU - Lewis, N. S.
AU - Atwater, H. A.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Solar cells based on arrays of CVD-grown Si nano- or micro-wires are being considered as a potentially low-cost route to implementing a vertical multijunction cell design via radial p-n junctions. This geometry has been predicted to enable efficiencies competitive with planar multicrystalline Si designs, while reducing the materials and processing costs of solar cell fabrication [1]. To further assess the potential efficiency of cells based on this design, we present here experimental measurements of minority carrier diffusion lengths and surface recombination rates within nanowires via fabrication and characterization of single-wire solar cell devices. Furthermore, we consider a potential Si wire array-based solar cell design, and present device physics modeling of single-wire photovoltaic efficiency. Based on experimentally observed diffusion lengths within our wires, we model a radial junction wire solar cell capable of 17% photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency.
AB - Solar cells based on arrays of CVD-grown Si nano- or micro-wires are being considered as a potentially low-cost route to implementing a vertical multijunction cell design via radial p-n junctions. This geometry has been predicted to enable efficiencies competitive with planar multicrystalline Si designs, while reducing the materials and processing costs of solar cell fabrication [1]. To further assess the potential efficiency of cells based on this design, we present here experimental measurements of minority carrier diffusion lengths and surface recombination rates within nanowires via fabrication and characterization of single-wire solar cell devices. Furthermore, we consider a potential Si wire array-based solar cell design, and present device physics modeling of single-wire photovoltaic efficiency. Based on experimentally observed diffusion lengths within our wires, we model a radial junction wire solar cell capable of 17% photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency.
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U2 - 10.1109/PVSC.2008.4922736
DO - 10.1109/PVSC.2008.4922736
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84879705480
SN - 9781424416417
T3 - Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
BT - 33rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2008
T2 - 33rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2008
Y2 - 11 May 2008 through 16 May 2008
ER -