Plasmon-induced enhancement of efficiency of solar cells modified by metallic nano-particles: Material dependence

Abstract

We analyze the material dependence of the near-field coupling to band electrons of surface plasmons in metallic nanoparticles deposited on the top of a semiconductor substrate in nano-modified solar cells. Various materials for the metal and substrate are considered for comparison upon the Fermi Golden Rule approach to theoretical modeling of the plasmon-electron coupling. The material dependence of the plasmon effect in two types of solar cells, multi-crystalline Si and CIGS (copper-indium-gallium-diselenide), modified by various metallic nano-particles is illustrated by the experimental data and compared with the theoretical predictions.