Enhancing the Performance of Textured Silicon Solar Cells by Combining Up-Conversion with Plasmonic Scattering

Wen-Jeng Ho,Wei-Chen Lin,Jheng-Jie Liu,Ching-Fuh Lin,Hong-Jhang Syu

doi:10.3390/en12214119

Wen-Jeng Ho, Wei-Chen Lin + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214119

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Abstract

This paper experimentally demonstrates the benefits of combining an up-conversion (UC) layer containing Yb/Er-doped yttrium oxide-based phosphors with a plasmonic scattering layer containing indium nanoparticles (In-NPs) in enhancing the photovoltaic performance of textured silicon solar cells. The optical emissions of the Yb/Er-doped phosphors were characterized using photoluminescence measurements obtained at room temperature. Optical microscope images and photo current-voltage curves were used to characterize the UC emissions of Yb/Er-doped phosphors under illumination from a laser diode with a wavelength of 1550 nm. The plasmonic effects of In NPs were assessed in terms of absorbance and Raman scattering. The performance of the textured solar cells was evaluated in terms of optical reflectance, external quantum efficiency, and photovoltaic performance. The analysis was performed on cells with and without a UC layer containing Yb/Er-doped yttrium oxide-based phosphors of various concentrations. The analysis was also performed on cells with a UC layer in conjunction with a plasmonic scattering layer. The absolute conversion efficiency of the textured silicon solar cell with a combination of up-conversion and plasmonic-scattering layers (15.43%) exceeded that of the cell with an up-conversion layer only (14.94%) and that of the reference cell (14.45%).

Highlights

Wafer-based crystalline silicon is currently the dominant photovoltaic technology
Our results demonstrate the benefits of using an up-conversion layer in conjunction with a plasmonic-scattering layer to enhance the photovoltaic performance of textured silicon solar cells
Were of 17 subsequently used as a baseline to evaluate the performance of cells with an up-conversion layer or a was small.ofHowever, our results demonstrate the possibility combination up-conversion and plasmonic scattering layers.of using Yb/Er-doped phosphors as an up-conversion vehicle to enhance the efficiency of thin silicon solar cells (150-μm)

Summary

Introduction

Wafer-based crystalline silicon is currently the dominant photovoltaic technology. Lowering the price of electricity generated by photovoltaic systems will require improvements in conversion efficiency and reductions in manufacturing costs. A variety of light trapping techniques have been developed to reduce the reflectance of silicon solar cells and extend broadband performance. These methods include the creation of surface structures at the nano- and micro-scale [1,2,3,4,5], and taking advantage of the plasmonic effects of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) [6,7,8]. Metallic nanoparticles exhibit strong optical extinction, due to the collective oscillation of free electrons, referred to as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) [9,10]. Nanoparticles of gold (Au NPs) [12,13,14], silver (Ag NPs) [15,16,17,18,19], and aluminum (Al NPs) [20,21,22] are widely used to induce light scattering, with the aim of trapping more of the light energy in order to create solar cells of greater efficiency

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