Magnetostriction‐strain‐induced enhancement and modulation of photovoltaic performance in Si‐p–n/TbxDy1−xFe2 composite

Abstract

High photovoltaic efficiency is a key index in the application of silicon (Si) solar cells. In this study, a composite of a photovoltaic Si p–n junction solar cell and a magnetostrictive TbxDy1−xFe2 alloy was fabricated. By utilizing the magnetostrictive strain to modulate the energy bandgap of Si, the open‐circuit voltage and the maximum photovoltaic output power of the Si p–n junction solar cell could be enhanced by ∼12% and 9.1% under a dc magnetic field of ∼250 mT, respectively. The significantly enhanced photovoltaic performance and the simple fabrication process make the Si‐p–n/TbxDy1−xFe2 composite a promising material for high‐efficiency solar cell devices. The structure of the proposed Si‐p–n/TbxDy1−xFe2 laminated composite.