In this paper, we propose a plasmon-enhanced solar cell structure based on a GaAs nanowire array decorated with metal nanoparticles. The results show that by engineering the metallic nanoparticles, localized surface plasmon could be excited, which can concentrate the incident light and propagate the energy to nanowires. The surface plasmon can dramatically enhance the absorbance of near-bandgap light, and the enhancement is influenced by the size and material of nanoparticles. By optimizing the particle parameters, a large absorbance enhancement of 50 % at 760 nm and a high conversion efficiency of 14.5 % can be obtained at a low diameter and period ratio (D/P ratio) of 0.3. The structure is promising for low-cost high-performance nanoscale solar cells.
Keywords: Nanoparticle; Nanowire arrays; Semiconductors; Solar cells; Surface plasmon.