Combining light-harvesting with detachability in high-efficiency thin-film silicon solar cells

TY - JOUR

T1 - Combining light-harvesting with detachability in high-efficiency thin-film silicon solar cells

AU - Ram, Sanjay K.

AU - Desta, Derese

AU - Rizzoli, Rita

AU - Bellettato, Michele

AU - Lyckegaard, Folmer

AU - Jensen, Pia B.

AU - Jeppesen, Bjarke R.

AU - Chevallier, Jacques

AU - Summonte, Caterina

AU - Larsen, Arne Nylandsted

AU - Balling, Peter

PY - 2017/6/7

Y1 - 2017/6/7

N2 - Efforts to realize thin-film solar cells on unconventional substrates face several obstacles in achieving good energy-conversion efficiency and integrating light-management into the solar cell design. In this report a technique to circumvent these obstacles is presented: transferability and an efficient light-harvesting scheme are combined for thin-film silicon solar cells by the incorporation of a NaCl layer. Amorphous silicon solar cells in p-i-n configuration are fabricated on reusable glass substrates coated with an interlayer of NaCl. Subsequently, the solar cells are detached from the substrate by dissolution of the sacrificial NaCl layer in water and then transferred onto a plastic sheet, with a resultant post-transfer efficiency of 9%. The light-trapping effect of the surface nanotextures originating from the NaCl layer on the overlying solar cell is studied theoretically and experimentally. The enhanced light absorption in the solar cells on NaCl-coated substrates leads to significant improvement in the photocurrent and energy-conversion efficiency in solar cells with both 350 and 100 nm thick absorber layers, compared to flat-substrate solar cells. Efficient transferable thin-film solar cells hold a vast potential for widespread deployment of off-grid photovoltaics and cost reduction.

AB - Efforts to realize thin-film solar cells on unconventional substrates face several obstacles in achieving good energy-conversion efficiency and integrating light-management into the solar cell design. In this report a technique to circumvent these obstacles is presented: transferability and an efficient light-harvesting scheme are combined for thin-film silicon solar cells by the incorporation of a NaCl layer. Amorphous silicon solar cells in p-i-n configuration are fabricated on reusable glass substrates coated with an interlayer of NaCl. Subsequently, the solar cells are detached from the substrate by dissolution of the sacrificial NaCl layer in water and then transferred onto a plastic sheet, with a resultant post-transfer efficiency of 9%. The light-trapping effect of the surface nanotextures originating from the NaCl layer on the overlying solar cell is studied theoretically and experimentally. The enhanced light absorption in the solar cells on NaCl-coated substrates leads to significant improvement in the photocurrent and energy-conversion efficiency in solar cells with both 350 and 100 nm thick absorber layers, compared to flat-substrate solar cells. Efficient transferable thin-film solar cells hold a vast potential for widespread deployment of off-grid photovoltaics and cost reduction.

KW - PHOTON MANAGEMENT

KW - NANOSTRUCTURES

KW - PERFORMANCE

KW - FABRICATION

KW - DEVICES

U2 - 10.1039/c7nr00658f

DO - 10.1039/c7nr00658f

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28513716

SN - 2040-3364

VL - 9

SP - 7169

EP - 7178

JO - Nanoscale

JF - Nanoscale

IS - 21

ER -