Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol.115, 58-63, 2013
Silicon nano network p-n sandwich solar cell
This article reports a prototype of a sandwich-structured solar cell. A thin layer of three dimensional Si nanofiber was created between the p-type and n-type layers in a single homojunction silicon cell. This nanofibre layer, which works as a "space region", was synthesized using MHz ultrafast laser ablation at ambient conditions. The high surface area of the nanofibrous layer having a certain degree of porosity enhances the excitation (hole/electron) when compared to the traditional p-n junction. Characterization with a standard solar simulator revealed improved device efficiency. The highest open circuit voltage, short circuit current and the maximum solar cell efficiency obtained are 16.21 mA/cm(2), 0.95 V. and 12.1%, respectively. It has been shown that the efficiency increases as the thickness of the nanofiber layer increases. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.