Abstract
In this paper, we propose a plasmon-enhanced solar cell structure based on a GaAs nanowire array decorated with metal nanoparticles. The results show that by engineering the metallic nanoparticles, localized surface plasmon could be excited, which can concentrate the incident light and propagate the energy to nanowires. The surface plasmon can dramatically enhance the absorbance of near-bandgap light, and the enhancement is influenced by the size and material of nanoparticles. By optimizing the particle parameters, a large absorbance enhancement of 50 % at 760 nm and a high conversion efficiency of 14.5 % can be obtained at a low diameter and period ratio (D/P ratio) of 0.3. The structure is promising for low-cost high-performance nanoscale solar cells.
Highlights
The development of high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) systems has always been a topic of intensive research to solve future energy problems
When we reduce the density of nanowires, the absorptance of nanowire array (NWA) at near-bandgap wavelength improved by metal nanoparticles more and more obviously
In summary, we proposed a novel plasmon-enhanced solar cell structure based on a GaAs nanowire array decorated with metal nanoparticles
Summary
The development of high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) systems has always been a topic of intensive research to solve future energy problems. Many approaches have been proposed to reduce the cost of photovoltaics, such as nanowire array (NWA) devices replacing film ones, or use metallic nanostructures that support surface plasmon to improve light absorption. Semiconductor NWAs are presently under intensive research and development for next-generation solar cells due to their low cost and high conversion efficiency compared with conventional thin-film devices [2,3,4,5]. GaAs nanowires show particular promise due to the superior electrical and optical properties, such as direct bandgap and high absorption coefficient. The combination of plasmon within III-V solar cells has been rarely reported, much less in III-V NWAs. In this work, we introduce plasmon into GaAs
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