Title:	Quasiperiodical Microrelief- and Metal Nanowires-Induced Efficiency Enhancement of Surface-Barrier Solar Cells
Author(s):	N.L. Dmitruk, A.V. Korovin, O.Y. Borkovskaya, I.B. Mamontova, S.V. Mamykin
Keywords:	Nanowire, Interface(s), Surface Plasmon (Polariton)
Topic:	MATERIAL STUDIES, NEW CONCEPTS, ULTRA-HIGH EFFICIENCY AND SPACE TECHNOLOGY
Subtopic:	New Materials and Concepts for Cells
Event:	28th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition
Session:	1AV.2.5
Pages:	274 - 278
ISBN:	3-936338-33-7
Paper DOI:	10.4229/28thEUPVSEC2013-1AV.2.5
Price:	0,00 EUR
Document(s):	paper

Abstract/Summary:

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Surface-barrier Au-GaAs structures have been prepared on (100) n-GaAs (Te) plates with quasiperiodical surface microrelief, formed by anisotropic etching and following deposition of Au nanowires on the ridges of relief. Perpendicularly to obtained array of nanowires, the system of gold contact grid has been prepared by thermal evaporation of gold in vacuum. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical investigations of such model solar cells (SC) allowed to find out essential enhancement of both the short-circuit photocurrent and the SC efficiency. Theoretical calculation of light transmittance/reflectance and generation of electron-hole pairs due to excitation of surface plasmons and surface plasmon polaritons has been fulfilled. In order to ascertain the physical nature of both efficiency enhancement and discrimination of anisotropic relief and plasmon-carrying metal nanowires influence, the measurements and calculations of photocurrent were fulfilled for p- and s-polarizations of light. The photocurrent enhancement in comparison with flat interface can reach from 1.5 to 4.6 in various spectral ranges, depending on the microrelief parameters.