Silicon Absorber Research Articles

Enhanced multifaceted model for plasmon-driven Schottky solar cells with integrated thermal effects

This paper explores the development of an opto-thermal-electrical model for plasmonic Schottky solar cells (PSSCs) using a comprehensive multiphysics approach. We simulated the optical properties, power conversion efficiencies, and energy yield of PSSCs with varying nanoparticle (NP) configurations and sizes. Our spectral analysis focused on the absorption characteristics of these solar cells, examining systems sized 3 × 3, 5 × 5, and 7 × 7, with NP radii ranging from 10 to 150 nm. The study addresses a significant gap in solar cell research by presenting a novel multi-physics energy yield model for PSSCs decorated with gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) on silicon absorbers. This integrated framework uniquely couples optical, electrical, and thermal responses for the prediction of global energy yield maps. Total spectral heat absorption was evaluated over a range of 300 nm to 1200 nm. This spectral heating was further deconvoluted into nanoparticle heating and thermalization heating in a silicon absorber. The findings indicated that the 5 × 5 NP array with a 70 nm radius enhances electrical performance, with the short-circuit current density (Jsc) reaching 11.54 mA/cm2—A 47% improvement compared to traditional bare silicon Schottky cells of 2 μm thickness. However, this electrical enhancement was also accompanied by a significant increase in heat generation within the nanoparticles, with thermal gains up to 182.5% relative to the bare silicon cells. This substantial rise in thermal energy highlights the critical need for advanced thermal management strategies to mitigate overheating and ensure the overall efficiency of plasmonic-enhanced solar cells. Enhanced energy yield maps confirm the model’s predictions, showing improved outputs globally, especially in sunny regions with potential annual energy yield gains up to 80 kWh/m2.

Signal Components and Impedance Spectroscopy of Potential p‐Si/n‐CdS/ALD‐ZnO Solar Cells: EIS and SCAPS‐1D Treatments

AbstractA silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell with the attractive and widely used atomic layer deposited (ALD)‐ZnO/n‐CdS/p‐Si configuration is examined in this work to learn more about its electrical properties. Using EIS and SCAPS‐1D, a comprehensive model of the device is created and then simulated. Theoretical aspects of the cell are examined through the use of similar electrical circuit models, focusing on the transmittance spectrum made possible by the ALD‐ZnO layer's low reflectance and high visible transmittance. In this study, the C–V tool is used to study the trap states in the silicon absorber layer under different lighting conditions and wavelengths. The doping concentration and built‐in potential are determined using the Mott–Schottky technique. In addition, the cell's properties are investigated by measuring its G–V, G–F, C–T, and C–F in different real‐world scenarios. As a means of visualizing the electrochemical impedance data, Nyquist plots—sometimes called Cole–Cole plots—are utilized. By utilizing absolute impedance and phase shifts, Bode plots are employed to examine the system's frequency response. Last, the results of the SHJ cell's spectral response measurements are given, which confirm the results of the Nyquist plots.

Silicon nanohole based enhanced light absorbers for thin film solar cell applications

We proposed a nanohole-based silicon (Si) absorber structure to enhance the light absorption of thin-film Si solar cells. Our proposed structures exhibited excellent performances harnessing the light-matter interaction phenomenon with a few microns of thick Si (3 µm). We employed the finite-difference time-domain method to analyze the optical properties and solved Poisson’s, continuity, and heat transfer equations to analyze the electrical and thermal properties of our proposed structures, operating in the wavelength range from 300 to 1100 nm. We obtained a maximum average absorption of 72.6% for our proposed square hole Si absorber structure. The power conversion efficiency and short circuit current density were calculated to be 20.74% and 39.91 mA/cm2. We achieved polarization-insensitive performance due to the symmetrical nature of the structure. The temperature of our proposed structure was increased by ∼10 K due to light absorption for different ambient temperatures. Moreover, we found our proposed structure was thermally stable over time. Our proposed structures can enhance the absorption of Si nanostructures, which can be conducive to designing Si-thin solar cells for energy harvesting.

Enhanced Selective Contact Behavior in a‐Si:H/oxide Transparent Photovoltaic Devices via Dipole Layer Integration

Transparent photovoltaic (TPV) devices have the potential to revolutionize photovoltaic (PV) technology by enabling on‐site generation while minimizing visual impact. However, a major challenge in the development of TPV, as well as for many PV technologies, is the open‐circuit voltage (Voc) deficit, which limits their efficiency. In this work, the development of wide‐bandgap inorganic‐based TPV devices is reported with a focus on low‐cost, earth‐abundant, stable, and nontoxic materials. The device structure consists of an ultrathin hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H) absorber and metal‐oxide layers as selective contacts. Herein, novel approach is presented to significantly improve device performance, especially in Voc, by introducing molecular dipoles in the device electron‐transport layer. By incorporating polyethyleneimine or poly(amidoamine) G1 and G2 dipoles, Voc (from 410 mV up to 638 mV) is significantly increased without sacrificing the average photopic transmittance of the device, leading to a record efficiency for this particular approach in TPV. Measurements confirm excellent long‐term stability. This approach can potentially allow tuning the work function of the selective contacts enabling the use of low‐cost, earth‐abundant materials that are not optimized for a particular absorber. Furthermore, this solution circumvents the issue of low Voc by a simple interface treatment.

The TES-based Cryogenic AntiCoincidence Detector (CryoAC) of ATHENA X-IFU: A Large Area Silicon Microcalorimeter for Background Particles Detection

We are developing the Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector (CryoAC) of the ATHENA X-IFU spectrometer. It is a TES-based particle detector aimed to reduce the background of the instrument. Here, we present the result obtained with the last CryoAC single-pixel prototype. It is based on a 1 cm2 silicon absorber sensed by a single 2 mm × 1 mm Ir/Au TES, featuring an on-chip heater for calibration and diagnostic purposes. We have illuminated the sample with 55Fe (6 keV line) and 241Am (60 keV line) radioactive sources, thus studying the detector response and the heater calibration accuracy at low energy. Furthermore, we have operated the sample in combination with a past-generation CryoAC prototype. Here, by analyzing the coincident detections between the two detectors, we have been able to characterize the background spectrum of the laboratory environment and disentangle the primary (i.e. cosmic muons) and secondaries (mostly secondary photons and electrons) signatures in the spectral shape.

Low-temperature aluminum doped and induced polysilicon and its application as partial rear contacts on p-type silicon solar cells

Low-temperature contact techniques offer benefits for various solar cells, including tandem solar cells, which risk degradation from high-temperature contact fabrication for top cell materials, such as in III-V/Si multijunction cells. This paper presents aluminum (Al) doped and induced poly-Si (formed through annealing at 190 °C for 5 min) as localized contacts on p-type silicon absorbers. This approach avoids the high-temperature processes required for poly-Si formation and the toxic gases involved in in-situ doping through chemical vapor deposition. Raman spectroscopy confirms poly-Si formation due to Al-induced recrystallization of a-Si:H(i), with electrochemical capacitance-voltage (ECV) measurements validating Al doping in the newly-formed poly-Si. The contact stack of p-Si/a-Si:H(i)/Al exhibits ohmic behavior after annealing at 190 °C for 5 min, achieving a contact resistivity of ∼13.2 mΩ⋅cm2. Finally, a cell featuring a localized Al-doped poly-Si contact structure is fabricated, realizing a 3% absolute efficiency improvement compared to a full-area Al back contact cell.

Results from a prototype TES detector for the Ricochet experiment

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) offers valuable sensitivity to physics beyond the Standard Model. The Ricochet experiment will use cryogenic solid-state detectors to perform a precision measurement of the CEνNS spectrum induced by the high neutrino flux from the Institut Laue-Langevin nuclear reactor. The experiment will employ an array of detectors, each with a mass of ∼30 g and a targeted energy threshold of 50 eV. Nine of these detectors (the “Q-Array”) will be based on a novel Transition-Edge Sensor (TES) readout style, in which the TES devices are thermally coupled to the absorber using a gold wire bond. We present initial characterization of a Q-Array-style detector using a 1 gram silicon absorber, obtaining a baseline root-mean-square resolution of less than 40 eV.

Numerical Investigation of Electrical Efficiency with the Application of Hybrid Nanofluids for Photovoltaic Thermal Systems Contained in a Cavity Channel

Photovoltaic thermal systems (PV/T) are devices used to collect both electrical and thermal energies from solar energy. By passing a coolant through flow channels that are connected to the PV/T systems, the temperature of the cells is reduced to enhance their electrical efficiency. Therefore, this study aims at investigating a photovoltaic thermal system via the transport of hybrid nanofluids based on Cu-Al2O3/water. We assume that the flow channel can be considered in two dimensions and is composed of the silicon panel, absorber, and flow channel. The flow channel consists of a cavity along the absorber with a fixed length and a certain height. This will be a combined conduction and convection problem, with conduction occurring on the top two layers of the silicon panel and absorber. Modeling and simulation problems are performed using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6. The aspect ratio from inlet height to cavity height is defined by Ar, and the volume fraction of Al2O3 is taken double that of Cu. The cell efficiency is analyzed by performing a parametric study by altering the Reynold number (100–1000), inlet temperature (50°C–450°C), the volume fraction of copper (0.01%–10%), and the aspect ratio (0.5, 0.7, 0.9, and 1). It is found that increasing the inlet temperature and aspect ratio decreases the cell efficiency while increasing the Reynolds number and volume fraction increases it. The maximum efficiency of the cell, about 6%, is achieved when the inlet temperature is 50°C, the volume fraction of copper is 10%, Re = 1000, and Ar = 0.5. It was also concluded that when the volume fraction of copper is 0.1, the increase in Reynolds number from 100 to 1000 is improving the cell efficiency by 0.5%. On the other hand, when increasing the volume fraction of copper from minimum to maximum at Re = 1000, the cell efficiency is increasing by 0.3%.

Monolith Cs1-xRbxSnI3 perovskite – silicon 2T tandem solar cell using SCAPS-1D

Tandem solar cells (TSCs) have gained notoriety by the use of various absorber layers with different bandgaps. The photovoltaic characteristics of Cs1-xRbxSnI3 perovskite – silicon TSCs were determined through simulation using the SCAPS-1D software in this work by first validating the experimentally obtained efficiency of 2.08% for ITO/Cs0.8Rb0.2SnI3/PCBM/BCP/Al structure. The influence of chlorinated and undoped ITO front contact, variation of Electron Transport Layer (ETL) thickness, doping concentration, CBO and variation of absorber layer thickness, defect density, and doping concentration was studied. Optimum VOC (0.9893 V), JSC (30.04 mA/cm2), fill factor (81.78 %) and efficiency (24.31 %) were determined. The bottom cell was simulated independently with reference to experimental data using the structure Al/c-Si (n)/c-Si (p)/c-Si (p + )/Au resulting in an efficiency of 26.68 %. The monolithic Cs0.8Rb0.2SnI3 perovskite – silicon tandem solar cell of the architecture ITO/Cs0.8Rb0.2SnI3/c-Si (n)/c-Si (p)/c-Si (p + )/Au performance was analyzed by varying the thickness, doping concentration, and defect density of the active layers. Optimized parameters obtained were as follows: top perovskite layer thickness (100 nm), doping concentrations (5 × 1019 cm-3) and defect density (1 × 1013 cm-3), and bottom silicon absorber layer thickness (50 μm), doping concentrations (5 × 1016 cm-3), defect density (1 × 1012 cm-3), and a work function of 5.3 eV with chlorinated ITO as the front contact of the tandem cell. Optimized outcomes of efficiency (29.82 %), VOC (0.7992 V), JSC density (43.39 mA/cm2), and fill factor (85.98 %) were realized for the 2T Cs0.8Rb0.2SnI3 perovskite – silicon tandem solar cell.

Numerical investigation of photovoltaic thermal energy efficiency improvement using the backward step containing Cu-Al2O3 hybrid nanofluid

The increasing demand for renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic thermal systems, requires efficient cooling techniques to improve performance. Hybrid nanofluids have shown promise in enhancing the cooling performance of such systems. This work seeks to investigate the effect of varying parameters on the performance of a two-dimensional photovoltaic thermal system using hybrid nanofluids for cooling. This work aims to enhance the performance of two-dimensional photovoltaic thermal systems by using hybrid nanofluids for cooling. The hybrid nanofluids use water as their base fluid and contain a mixture of Copper (Cu) and Aluminia oxide. The photovoltaic thermal system is assumed to have a monocrystalline silicon absorber and a backward step as the flow channel. The conduction and forced convection process will occur on the top two layers of silicon and absorber, respectively, while forced convection will occur in the flow and heat transmission channel. The finite element software COMSOL 6.0 will be used to simulate the issue using the energy and Navier-Stokes equations in a two-dimensional, incompressible, and steady-state problem. A parametric study will be conducted by varying the inlet temperature, Reynolds number, volume fraction of Copper, and height downstream of the backward step channel. The results will be verified using a mesh-independent study and the heat transfer coefficient from the available literature. The study demonstrates that increasing the amount of Cu in the base fluid, the upstream channel's channel height and the corresponding Reynolds number improves the performance of the photovoltaic thermal system.

Collaborative interfacial modification and surficial passivation for high-efficiency MA-free wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells

The wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are the pivotal component for the tandem solar cells, which provides a potential for exceeding the theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE) limit of the single-junction solar cells. However, the improvement of PCE for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells is restricted by the interfacial transport barrier loss and the nonradiative recombination loss of the WBG-PSC top cell. Herein, we applied methylammonium-free (MA-free) WBG perovskite for achieving an excellent stability light absorber. This work offers a simultaneous interfacial modification and surficial passivation strategy for suppressing the losses of interfacial barrier and recombination. The mixture of [2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl]phosphonic acid (2PACz) and [2-(3,6-dimeth oxy-9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl]phosphonic acid (Meo-2PACz) as a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is employed to facilitate the carrier transport from the perovskite to the anode. 4-trifluoromethyl-phenylammonium iodine (CF3PhAI) is introduced to passivate the surface defect of perovskites. Therefore, the open circuit voltage and PCE of the WBG-PSC are significantly increased. The opaque and transparent electrode (TE) PSCs achieve PCEs of 20.11% and 17.80%, respectively, and the unencapsulated opaque PSC retains more than 85% of the initial efficiency after 1750 h in N2-glovebox. The four-terminal tandem solar cell with perovskite and silicon absorbers was fabricated and obtained 26.59% efficiency. This work provides a simple way to improve the PCE and stability of WBG-PSCs, facilitating the development of tandem solar cells.

Investigation on Absorption and Photocurrent in Silicon Absorber with Varied Pyramid Texture Angles by Ray Tracer

In this work, ray tracing is used to investigate the effects of pyramid texture angle towards light absorption and photocurrent in 250 μm-thick crystalline silicon (c-Si) absorber. Upright pyramids with texture angles of 10-50o are investigated. Planar c-Si absorber is used as a reference. When the pyramid angle increases, the broadband reflection reduces due to enhanced light scattering which leads to improved light absorption. At angle of 50o, the weighted average reflection (WAR) reduces to 14.7% and broadband light absorption increases. The optical path length enhancement increases to 12 at wavelength of 1100 nm. The reflection and photogenerated current density (Jg) exhibit an inverse relationship with increasing zenith angle. With increasing zenith angle, the reflection from the c-Si absorber increases and this results in lower light absorption and Jg. In the passivated emitter rear cell (PERC) solar cell, the planar solar cell exhibits short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 26 mA/cm2 with conversion efficiency of 13.6%. When both the pyramids and the silicon nitride (SiNx) anti-reflective coating (ARC) are incorporated on the solar cell, the Jsc increases to 39 mA/cm2 and conversion efficiency increases to 20.5%. This is attributed to the enhanced light-trapping and light-coupling effects in the device.

Comparison of random upright pyramids and inverted pyramid photonic crystals in thin crystalline silicon solar cells: An optical and morphological study

The potential of enabling a wide range of applications with lightweight, flexible, thin silicon photovoltaic (PV) devices has led to research interest in various light-trapping technologies for thin silicon absorbers. Herein, using both experiments and photonic modelling, we present a detailed comparison between random pyramid texturing and inverted pyramid photonic crystal patterning in thin silicon vis-à-vis light trapping. In particular, we investigate the potential of uniform single-dimension periodic structures in contrast to conventional multi-dimensional random structures for high broadband absorption efficiency in ultra-thin silicon. We find that inverted pyramid photonic crystals cause a large increase in optical path length especially for long wavelength photons due to strong wave interference producing exceptionally high absorption and so does random pyramids though with slightly lower absorption than that of photonic crystals. On the other hand, the random pyramids, fabricated via a one-step etching process with feature sizes ranging from sub-micron to 4 µm, have higher absorption at short wavelengths due to their multi-dimensional size distribution. Overall, we find that random textured pyramids appropriately fabricated can yield a comparable ideal photocurrent density to that by photonic crystals for 10 µm thick silicon.

First Configurational Study of the CryoAC Detector Silicon Chip of the Athena X-Ray Observatory

The 50 mK cryogenic focal plane anticoincidence detector of the Athena X-ray observatory (CryoAC) is a silicon-suspended absorber sensed by a network of 400 Ir/Au transition edge sensors (TES) and connected through silicon bridges to a surrounding silicon frame plated with gold. The device is shaped by deep reactive ion etching from a single silicon wafer of 500 <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">μ</i> m. In operating test of prototypes of the demonstration model of the CryoAC, we have highlighted the importance of the phonon hot spot in the signal generation. A fast response to the cosmic particle of a large area of about 4 cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> and a thin 0.5 mm silicon absorber covered by a TES array can be assured by matching the array configuration to the size and properties of the hot spot. In this article, we present the preparatory study of a proposal for measuring the phonon hot spot that is predicted by the particle-absorber interaction model.

Detection of high energy ionizing radiation using deeply depleted graphene–oxide–semiconductor junctions

Graphene’s linear band structure and two-dimensional density of states provide an implicit advantage for sensing charge. Here, these advantages are leveraged in a deeply depleted graphene–oxide–semiconductor (D2GOS) junction detector architecture to sense carriers created by ionizing radiation. Specifically, the room temperature response of a silicon-based D2GOS junction is analyzed during irradiation with 20 MeV Si4+ ions. Detection was demonstrated for doses ranging from 12 to 1200 ions with device functionality maintained with no substantive degradation. To understand the device response, D2GOS pixels were characterized post-irradiation via a combination of electrical characterization, Raman spectroscopy, and photocurrent mapping. This combined characterization methodology underscores the lack of discernible damage caused by irradiation to the graphene while highlighting the nature of interactions between the incident ions and the silicon absorber.

First measurements of remoTES cryogenic calorimeters: Easy-to-fabricate particle detectors for a wide choice of target materials

Low-temperature calorimeters based on a readout via Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) and operated below 100mK are well suited for rare event searches with outstanding resolution and low thresholds. We present first experimental results from two detector prototypes using a novel design of the thermometer coupling denoted remoTES, which further extends the applicability of the TES technology by including a wider class of potential absorber materials. In particular, this design facilitates the use of materials whose physical and chemical properties, as e.g. hygroscopicity, low hardness and low melting point, prevent the direct fabrication of the TES onto their surface. This is especially relevant in the context of the COSINUS experiment (Cryogenic Observatory for SIgnals seen in Next-Generation Underground Searches), where sodium iodide (NaI) is used as absorber material.With two remoTES detector prototypes operated in an above-ground R&D facility, we achieve baseline energy resolutions of σ=87.8eV for a 2.33g silicon absorber and σ=193.5eV for a 2.27g α-TeO2 absorber, respectively. RemoTES calorimeters offer – besides the wider choice of absorber materials – a simpler production process combined with a higher reproducibility for large detector arrays.

Effect of thermal radiation entropy on the outdoor efficiency limit of single-junction silicon solar cells

Incoming radiation energy illuminating a solar cell contains a certain amount of entropy, which does not contribute to output electrical work. Entropy has a different spectral distribution from the internal energy of light and consequently affects PV cell performance. Here in this work, we investigate the influence of entropy content of thermally radiated light on the maximum achievable efficiency of single-junction solar cells. We revise the value of the well-known Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit for various absorber materials and take a deeper look at this effect by re-calculating the efficiency limit of crystalline silicon solar cells considering Meitner-Auger recombination. When considering the entropy content of AM 1.5 standard spectrum, the SQ limit for silicon drops from 33.15% to 30.42%. Further, considering Meitner-Auger recombination and using measured properties of silicon, the efficiency limit lowers to 27.12% from the already established 29.43%. This suggests a 4% thinner silicon absorber, reaching a thickness of ∼101 μm; hinting PV industry that a thinner Si wafer can provide the optimum outdoor energy yield. We further show that the entropy content of terrestrial radiation is less in favor of c-Si technology and most in favor of amorphous silicon. In the end, we discuss a few applications of considering entropy of incoming sunlight for photovoltaics, which range from PV device design to PV module tilt optimization and even PV system electrical standards. • Quality of radiation that a solar cell receives changes under outdoor condition. • Radiation illuminating solar cells in labs has lower entropy, i.e. higher exergy. • Exergy of incoming radiation is used to calculate outdoor efficiency limit. • Single junction solar cells can reach 27.1% efficiency under outdoor condition. • Results suggest 4% thinner silicon absorbers for single junction solar cells.

Energy-harvesting photovoltaic transparent tandem devices using hydrogenated amorphous and microcrystalline silicon absorber layers for window applications

Transparent photovoltaic (TPV) tandem devices were prepared via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, using hydrogenated amorphous (a-Si:H) and microcrystalline (mc-Si:H) absorber layers that were sandwiched by transparent conducting oxide (TCO) electrodes. The high-performance TPV tandem devices were designed by controlling the film thickness of the mc-Si:H absorbers. For the TPV tandem devices with 300-nm-thick a-Si:H top cells, increasing the absorber thickness (tbottom) of mc-Si:H bottom cells from 1.0 to 2.1 μm induced an increase in power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) from 6.5% to 8.3% with a minor decrease in the average light transmittance from 16.6% to 14.6% at the 500–800 nm wavelengths. The TPV tandem devices exhibited JSC gains from 4.3 mA cm−2 (tbottom = 1.0 μm) to 0.5 mA cm−2 (tbottom = 2.3 μm) under bifacial illumination (front: 100 mW cm−2 and rear: 30 mW cm−2). This further resulted in additional PCE gains from 2.8% (tbottom = 1.0 μm) to 0.4% (tbottom = 2.3 μm), in comparison to the corresponding samples under front illumination only. The TPV tandem devices demonstrated excellent PV performance even at low-light illumination intensities (∼21 mW cm−2) in comparison to those at standard illumination light intensity (100 mW cm−2), while maintaining PCE values as high as 80%.

Optimization of electrical properties for performance analysis of p-Si/n-CdS/ITO heterojunction photovoltaic cell

There is always a photogenerated current in solar photovoltaics because of the movement of charge carriers in the photovoltaic device. Therefore, it is necessary and exciting to explore its electrical properties. Thus, in the present communication, the electrical properties (as electron/hole mobilities, the effect of electron affinity, series/shunt resistance, etc.) have been optimized for p-Si photovoltaic cells with thin n-CdS emitter and ITO window layer. In this context, the signature of charge carrier mobilities on the performance of the proposed configuration, i.e., the hole mobility of the p-Si (p-type Crystalline Silicon) absorber layer and the electron mobility of the n-CdS (n-type Cadmium Sulphide) emitter/buffer layer has been optimized. Under the variation in hole mobility from 50 cm2/Vs to 500 cm2/Vs and the electron mobility from 10 cm2/Vs to 100 cm2/Vs simultaneously, the observed 2D contour plots reveal the effective change in power conversion efficiency from 17.72 % to 18.25 %. Moreover, the effect of electrical parameters, i.e., series and shunt resistance, on the characteristic performance parameters such as power conversion efficiency (η), open-circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current density (Jsc), and fill factor (FF). An increase in series resistance (0 Ωcm2 to 10 Ωcm2) deteriorates the performance of the proposed solar cell considerably (19.66% to 8.87%). Further, the effect of the electron affinity of the p-Si absorber layer on fill factor and open circuit voltage is observed.

Efficient n-i-p Monolithic Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells with Tin Oxide via a Chemical Bath Deposition Method

Tandem solar cells, based on perovskite and crystalline silicon absorbers, are promising candidates for commercial applications. Tin oxide (SnO2), applied via the spin-coating method, has been among the most used electron transfer layers in normal (n-i-p) perovskite/silicon tandem cells. SnO2 synthesized by chemical bath deposition (CBD) has not yet been applied in tandem devices. This method shows improved efficiency in perovskite single cells and allows for deposition over a larger area. Our study is the first to apply low-temperature processed SnO2 via CBD to a homojunction silicon solar cell without additional deposition of a recombination layer. By controlling the reaction time, a tandem efficiency of 16.9% was achieved. This study shows that tandem implementation is possible through the CBD method, and demonstrates the potential of this method in commercial application to textured silicon surfaces with large areas.