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Broadband optical absorption enhancement in stacked MWCNTs array: towards new generation of solar cells

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Abstract

In this paper, we have proposed a new type of multi-layer solar cell structure based on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) photonic crystals grown on a silicon substrate. The structure is constructed by stacking layers of MWCNTs array with different lattice constants from 100 to 800 nm as an active layer. It exhibits a remarkable absorption efficiency, reaching a peak value of 92.61% within a broad absorption spectrum spanning from 100 to 2000 nm. The absorption capacity and range are significantly improved compared to conventional solar cell structures. The effect of the filling factor on the absorption coefficient was examined. Various filling factor values ranging from 4 to 60% were evaluated to optimize the structure, with the most favorable outcome observed at a filling factor of f = 30%. The host medium is silicon, which is fully compatible with Si technology, enabling seamless easy integration with other Si-based technology devices.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Qom University of Technology, Qom, Iran

    Bita Etemadi

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran

    Alireza Mobini

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  1. Bita Etemadi
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The authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Data collection and analysis were performed by Bita Etemadi and Alireza Mobini. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Bita Etemadi. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Alireza Mobini.

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Etemadi, B., Mobini, A. Broadband optical absorption enhancement in stacked MWCNTs array: towards new generation of solar cells. Opt Quant Electron 56, 1093 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-024-06976-6

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