Broadband Enhancement in the Spectral Response of Photovoltaic Modules with Flower-like Silver Particles

Abstract

Recent research has indicated that metal nanoparticles, known for their unique optical properties, can enhance the spectral response of photovoltaic modules. Since most nanoparticles demonstrate enhancement effects within a specific wavelength range, broadening the spectral response of photoelectric devices is critical for their application in imaging, energy harvesting, and optical communication. In this study, we applied flower-like silver particles to achieve this broadband enhancement. The optical absorption of photovoltaic modules, featuring an amorphous Si p-i-n structure, was improved across a broad wavelength range of 400~2000 nm by integrating these flower-like silver particles, resulting in an approximately tenfold increase in peak spectral responsivity. The theoretical investigation further elaborates that the enhancement originates from the near-field effects of silver particles due to the interaction of different parts of the flower-like silver particles. Through these studies, we demonstrate that utilizing the flower-like silver particles with roughness surface can achieve the spectral response of the photoelectric device enhanced in broadband range, which can improve the utilization efficiency of optical energy for the applications of sensing, imaging, optical communication, and energy harvesting.