Photocurrent improvement of an ultra-thin silicon solar cell using the localized surface plasmonic effect of clustering nanoparticles

Abstract

The cluster-shaped plasmonic nanostructures are used to manage the incident light inside an ultra-thin silicon solar cell. Here we simulate spherical, conical, pyramidal, and cylindrical nanoparticles in a form of a cluster at the rear side of a thin silicon cell, using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. By calculating the optical absorption and hence the photocurrent, it is shown that the clustering of nanoparticles significantly improves them. The photocurrent enhancement is the result of the plasmonic effects of clustering the nanoparticles. For comparison, first a cell with a single nanoparticle at the rear side is evaluated. Then four smaller nanoparticles are put around it to make a cluster. The photocurrents of 20.478 mA/cm2, 23.186 mA/cm2, 21.427 mA/cm2, and 21.243 mA/cm2 are obtained for the cells using clustering conical, spherical, pyramidal, cylindrical NPs at the backside, respectively. These values are 13.987 mA/cm2, 16.901 mA/cm2, 16.507 mA/cm2, 17.926 mA/cm2 for the cell with one conical, spherical, pyramidal, cylindrical NPs at the backside, respectively. Therefore, clustering can significantly improve the photocurrents. Finally, the distribution of the electric field and the generation rate for the proposed structures are calculated.