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PUBLICATIONS

Nanoscale imaging of photocurrent enhancement by resonator array photovoltaic coatings

Published

Author(s)

Dongheon Ha, Yohan Yoon, Nikolai B. Zhitenev

Abstract

Nanoscale surface patterning commonly used to increase absorption of solar cells can adversely impact the open-circuit voltage due to increased surface area and recombination. Here, we demonstrate absorptivity and photocurrent enhancement using silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanosphere arrays on a gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cell that do not require direct surface texturing. Due to the combined effects of thin-film interference and whispering gallery-like resonances within nanosphere arrays, there is more than 20% enhancement in absorptivity and photocurrent. To determine the effect of the resonance coupling between nanospheres, we perform a scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) based on a near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) measurement and find a substantial local photocurrent enhancement. The demonstrated antireflection coating (ARC), made by the Meyer rod rolling technique that is a scalable and a room-temperature fabrication process, can replace the conventional thin-film-based ARCs requiring expensive high-temperature vacuum deposition.
Citation
Nanotechnology
Volume
29
Issue
14
Pub Type
Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/aaab0c
Optoelectronics, Semiconductors, Alternative energy, Nanophotonics, Physics and Optical physics and communications

Citation

Ha, D. , Yoon, Y. and Zhitenev, N. (2018), Nanoscale imaging of photocurrent enhancement by resonator array photovoltaic coatings, Nanotechnology, [online], https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/aaab0c (Accessed October 7, 2025)

Issues

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Created February 15, 2018, Updated November 10, 2018
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