Conical structures for highly efficient solar cell applications

Fatma M. H. Korany; Mohamed Farhat O. Hameed; Mohamed Hussein; Roaa Mubarak; Mohamed I. Eladawy; Salah Sabry A. Obayya

doi:10.1117/1.JNP.12.016019

6 March 2018 Conical structures for highly efficient solar cell applications

Fatma M. H. Korany, Mohamed Farhat O. Hameed, Mohamed Hussein, Roaa Mubarak, Mohamed I. Eladawy, Salah Sabry A. Obayya

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Nanophotonics, Vol. 12, Issue 1, 016019 (March 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JNP.12.016019

Abstract

Improving solar cell efficiency is a critical research topic. Nowadays, light trapping techniques are a promising way to enhance solar cell performance. A modified nanocone nanowire (NW) is proposed and analyzed for solar cell applications. The suggested NW consists of conical and truncated conical units. The geometrical parameters are studied using a three-dimensional (3-D) finite difference time-domain (FDTD) method to achieve broadband absorption through the reported design and maximize its ultimate efficiency. The analyzed parameters are absorption spectra, ultimate efficiency, and short circuit current density. The numerical results prove that the proposed structure is superior compared with cone, truncated cone, and cylindrical NWs. The reported design achieves an ultimate efficiency of 44.21% with substrate and back reflector. Further, short circuit current density of 36.17 mA / cm² is achieved by the suggested NW. The electrical performance analysis of the proposed structure including doping concentration, junction thickness, and Shockley–Read–Hall recombination is also investigated. The electrical simulations show that a power conversion efficiency of 17.21% can be achieved using the proposed NW. The modified nanocone has advantages of broadband absorption enhancement, low cost, and fabrication feasibility.

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Fatma M. H. Korany, Mohamed Farhat O. Hameed, Mohamed Hussein, Roaa Mubarak, Mohamed I. Eladawy, and Salah Sabry A. Obayya "Conical structures for highly efficient solar cell applications," Journal of Nanophotonics 12(1), 016019 (6 March 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JNP.12.016019

Received: 5 October 2017; Accepted: 2 February 2018; Published: 6 March 2018

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