Effect of alkali treatment on the spectral response of silicon-nanowire solar cells

The effect of alkali treatment of Si nanowires (SiNWs) on the spectral response of solar cells was investigated using monochromatic incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency spectroscopy. SiNWs were prepared on a substrate by metal-assisted etching and were then treated with NaOH/isopropanol. The results show that alkali treatment of SiNWs for 30 s obviously improved the cell conversion efficiency. This was attributed to enhancement of the red light response and a decrease in surface reflectivity from 6% to ~2%. However, SiNW alkali treatment led to poor blue light response, which is a major limiting factor for efficient SiNW solar cells. To improve the photovoltaic properties of SiNW cells, a near-complete response over the whole solar spectrum is essential.