The violet cell: An improved silicon solar cell

Abstract

Abstract State-of-the-art Si solar cells exhibit a poor quantum yield at short wavelenghts; below 0.5 μm the typical response drops sharply. Extensive work has resulted in an extension of the response to wavelengths as short as 0.3 μm, significantly improving the solar cell current. The conversion efficiency has been further improved by an increased fill factor. The combination of a short-wavelength response and a sharper I-V curve has produced a conversion efficiency which is about 30% higher than that of state-of-the-art cells for space applications. The improved solar cell is called “violet cell.”