Improving light trapping and conversion efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cell by modified and randomly distributed ZnO nanorods

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/23/4/046106

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures in thin film solar cells have attracted significant attention due to their applications in enhancing light trapping. Enhanced light trapping can result in more effective absorption in solar cells, thus leading to higher short-circuit current density and conversion efficiency. We develop randomly distributed and modified ZnO nanorods, which are designed and fabricated by the following processes: the deposition of a ZnO seed layer on substrate with sputtering, the wet chemical etching of the seed layer to form isolated islands for nanorod growth, the chemical bath deposition of the ZnO nanorods, and the sputtering deposition of a thin Al-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) layer to improve the ZnO/Si interface. Solar cells employing the modified ZnO nanorod substrate show a considerable increase in solar energy conversion efficiency.

Keywords: random ZnO nanorod light trapping Al-doped ZnO solar cells

Received: 14 July 2013
Revised: 09 October 2013
Accepted manuscript online:

PACS:	61.46.Km	(Structure of nanowires and nanorods (long, free or loosely attached, quantum wires and quantum rods, but not gate-isolated embedded quantum wires))
	78.35.+c	(Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering; other light scattering)
	77.55.hf	(ZnO)
	88.40.H-	(Solar cells (photovoltaics))

Fund: Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 2011CBA00706 and 2011CBA00707), the High-Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2013AA050302), the Science and Technology Support Program of Tianjin City, China (Grant No. 12ZCZDGX03600), the Major Science and Technology SupportProject of Tianjin City, China (Grant No. 11TXSYGX22100), and the Specialized Research Fund for the Ph. D. Program of Higher Education, China (Grant No. 20120031110039).

Corresponding Authors: Zhang Xiao-Dan
E-mail: xdzhang@nankai.edu.cn

About author: 61.46.Km; 78.35.+c; 77.55.hf; 88.40.H-

Cite this article:

Jia Zhi-Nan (贾志楠), Zhang Xiao-Dan (张晓丹), Liu Yang (刘阳), Wang Yan-Feng (王延峰), Fan Jun (樊君), Liu Cai-Chi (刘彩池), Zhao Ying (赵颖) Improving light trapping and conversion efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cell by modified and randomly distributed ZnO nanorods 2014 Chin. Phys. B 23 046106

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Improving light trapping and conversion efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cell by modified and randomly distributed ZnO nanorods

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