Au nanoparticle enhanced thin-film silicon solar cells

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were prepared on the top of the indium tin oxide (ITO) window layer in thin-film silicon solar cells using a magnetron sputtering method. In comparison with the pure ITO film, the samples with the Au NPs show higher optical transmittance. It is found that the photoluminescence (PL) intensities from the ITO films are enhanced significantly by the Au NPs, so do the macroscopic conductance and the microscopic conductive atomic microcopy (C-AFM) current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. It also appears that the surface work function (φs) is changed by the Au NPs, the longer time the Au NP deposition, the more Au NPs on surface, the larger φs. When the sample is illuminated, its φs downshifts due to the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excited by the illumination on the Au NPs. It is found that the short circuit current density (Jsc) of the solar cells is increased by as much as 20.78% for the optimized solar cell configuration.