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A Design of Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells Based on Silver Nanoparticle Arrays

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Abstract

We report on a structural design of thin film silicon solar cells based on silver nanoparticle arrays. At the front surface of the solar cells, an antireflection layer structure is designed with a combination of quarter wavelength thin films and silver nanoparticle arrays. At the rear surface, a reflection layer structure is designed utilizing the surface plasmon effects of the silver nanoparticle arrays. The light transmittances of the front and the rear surfaces are calculated in the wavelength range of 400 to 1100 nm via the finite difference time domain (FDTD) numerical simulation method. The results indicate that the parameters associated with the silver nanoparticle arrays may be optimized to enhance the light utilization of the cells. It is also revealed that the surface plasmon effects induced by the silver nanoparticles and the grating characteristics of the arrays play crucial roles in the design of the solar cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Physical Science and Technology, Dalian University, Dalian, 116622, China

    Cheng Sun, Jie Su & Xiaoqiu Wang

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  1. Cheng Sun
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  2. Jie Su
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  3. Xiaoqiu Wang
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Correspondence to Cheng Sun or Xiaoqiu Wang.

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Sun, C., Su, J. & Wang, X. A Design of Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells Based on Silver Nanoparticle Arrays. Plasmonics 10, 633–641 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-014-9849-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-014-9849-2

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