Three-dimensional radial junction solar cell based on ordered silicon nanowires

Nanotechnology. 2019 Aug 23;30(34):344001. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/ab0451. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Abstract

Highly ordered silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were fabricated by nanoimprint lithography and Bosch etching methods. A polycrystalline silicon shell was grown to form a radial p-n junction. To enhance its anti-reflection properties and conductivity, a thin ITO layer was deposited on the SiNWs solar cell, then a micro-grid electrode was introduced to minimize the metal areas to maximize carrier collection. Finally, shorter nanowires were used to reduce surface recombination and achieve an efficiency of 10.5%. This work is expected to show some possible techniques to improve the performance of silicon nanostructure solar cell.