Abstract
The effects of substrates with technological interest for solar cell industry are examined on the plasmonic properties of Ag nanoparticles fabricated by dewetting technique. Both surface matching (boundary element) and propagator (finite difference time domain) methods are used in numerical simulations to describe plasmonic properties and to interpret experimental data. The uncertainty on the locations of nanoparticles by the substrate in experiment is explained by the simulations of various Ag nanoparticle configurations. The change in plasmon resonance due to the location of nanoparticles with respect to the substrate, interactions among them, their shapes, and sizes as well as dielectric properties of substrate are discussed theoretically and implications of these for the experiment are deliberated.
Highlights
The necessity of extending optical path length of light inside a thin-film solar cell device for efficient light absorption by the active material calls for a refined method other than the surface texturing commonly applied in wafer based solar cells
Self-organized methodology is a promising option for production of full-scale plasmonic solar cells, the single NP versus dielectric surface based theoretical models are often found not to be sufficient to describe the intricate relationship of light trapping efficiency of such experimentally attainable surface decorations of this film solar cells
We show experimentally the possibility to scatter light from Ag NPs preferentially into an underlying transparent conductive oxide (TCO) material (ITO in this case) and thereby effectively increasing the number of photons interacting with the active layers of the device for improved efficiency, in a way like an anti-reflection coating would do
Summary
The necessity of extending optical path length of light inside a thin-film solar cell device for efficient light absorption by the active material calls for a refined method other than the surface texturing commonly applied in wafer based solar cells. It should be kept in mind that the metal NPs do introduce losses through absorption of light in the metal rather than the solar cell due to strong coupling of the incident field to the localized surface plasmons (LSPs). Since both absorption and scattering cross-sections are functions of the NP size, yet to a different strength of dependence, for a given metal NP-dielectric medium system a minimum size is found at which scattering cross-section exceeds absorption cross-section of the NP to a significant degree, such that the net effect of presence of the metal NP yields a gain for the solar cell. Our aims are to show how plasmonic resonances are affected by the various inhomogeneities including those originating from the substrate material, submerging behavior of NPs into the substrate and influences of other neighboring particles, and provide insight into how we can positively manipulate these features for improved solar cell applications
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
