Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6535607 | Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells | 2014 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
We study solar cell properties of single silicon wires connected at their ends to two dissimilar metals of different work functions. Effects of wire dimensions, the work functions of the metals, and minority carrier lifetimes on short circuit current as well as open circuit voltage are studied. The most efficient photovoltaic behavior is found to occur when one metal makes a Schottky contact with the wire, and the other makes an Ohmic contact. As wire length increases, both short circuit current and open circuit voltage increase before saturation occurs. Depending on the work function difference between the metals and the wire dimensions, the saturation length increases by approximately an order of magnitude with a two order magnitude increase in minority carrier length. However current per surface area exposed to light is found to decrease rapidly with increase in length. The use of a multi-contact interdigitated design for long wires is investigated to increase the photovoltaic response of the devices.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Catalysis
Authors
M. Golam Rabbani, Amit Verma, Michael M. Adachi, Jency P. Sundararajan, Mahmoud M. Khader, Reza Nekovei, M.P. Anantram,