Efficient light harvesting in hybrid quantum dot-interdigitated back contact solar cells via resonant energy transfer and luminescent downshifting
Efficient light harvesting in hybrid quantum dot-interdigitated back contact solar cells via resonant energy transfer and luminescent downshifting
In this paper, we propose a hybrid quantum dot (QD)/solar cell configuration to improve performance of interdigitated back contact (IBC) silicon solar cells, resulting in 39.5% relative boost in the short-circuit current (JSC) through efficient utilisation of resonant energy transfer (RET) and luminescent downshifting (LDS). A uniform layer of CdSe1−xSx/ZnS quantum dots is deposited onto the AlOx surface passivation layer of the IBC solar cell. QD hybridization is found to cause a broadband improvement in the solar cell external quantum efficiency. Enhancement over the QD absorption wavelength range is shown to result from LDS. This is confirmed by significant boosts in the solar cell internal quantum efficiency (IQE) due to the presence of QDs. Enhancement over the red and near-infrared spectral range is shown to result from the anti-reflection properties of the QD layer coating. A study on the effect of QD layer thickness on solar cell performance was performed and an optimised QD layer thickness was determined. Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy was used to investigate the photoluminescence dynamics of the QD layer as a function of AlOx spacer layer thickness. RET can be evoked between the QD and Si layers for very thin AlOx spacer layers, with RET efficiencies of up to 15%. In the conventional LDS architecture, down-converters are deposited on the surface of an optimised anti-reflection layer, providing relatively narrowband enhancement, whereas the QDs in our hybrid architecture provide optical enhancement over the broadband wavelength range, by simultaneously utilising LDS, RET-mediated carrier injection, and antireflection effects, resulting in up to 40% improvement in the power conversion efficiency (PCE). Low-cost synthesis of QDs and simple device integration provide a cost-effective solution for boosting solar cell performance.
18837-18844
Krishnan, Chirenjeevi
0d41ebc9-118a-4f89-889e-8ad28a69237e
Mercier, Thomas
48bf8bb9-2952-41f6-8153-354763a06edd
Rahman, Tasmiat
e7432efa-2683-484d-9ec6-2f9c568d30cd
Piana, Giacomo
3154f35e-0273-453f-b3b9-97b19d8d856e
Brossard, Mael
54cb5619-1a14-4e55-b61f-16253d653984
Yagafarov, Timur
278060d1-9097-458b-93b4-058a7300a7bf
To, Alexander
1cf82753-7ed7-4ffc-9c18-241b3f75b100
Pollard, Michael E.
c439d195-6e7c-48d7-ab81-a20c72b72632
Shaw, Peter
935dfebf-9fb6-483c-86da-a21dba8c1989
Bagnall, Darren M.
5d84abc8-77e5-43f7-97cb-e28533f25ef1
Hoex, Bram
88e5df81-ee87-49f1-b924-6c88df595a05
Boden, Stuart A.
01b35080-37e4-48ca-bdc7-bde7971002d6
Lagoudakis, Pavlos G.
ea50c228-f006-4edf-8459-60015d961bbf
Charlton, Martin D. B.
fcf86ab0-8f34-411a-b576-4f684e51e274
Shaw, Peter
dcb6c9af-bf38-4dfe-8395-8aeac2ad5cc7
Shaw, Peter
dcb6c9af-bf38-4dfe-8395-8aeac2ad5cc7
28 October 2019
Krishnan, Chirenjeevi
0d41ebc9-118a-4f89-889e-8ad28a69237e
Mercier, Thomas
48bf8bb9-2952-41f6-8153-354763a06edd
Rahman, Tasmiat
e7432efa-2683-484d-9ec6-2f9c568d30cd
Piana, Giacomo
3154f35e-0273-453f-b3b9-97b19d8d856e
Brossard, Mael
54cb5619-1a14-4e55-b61f-16253d653984
Yagafarov, Timur
278060d1-9097-458b-93b4-058a7300a7bf
To, Alexander
1cf82753-7ed7-4ffc-9c18-241b3f75b100
Pollard, Michael E.
c439d195-6e7c-48d7-ab81-a20c72b72632
Shaw, Peter
935dfebf-9fb6-483c-86da-a21dba8c1989
Bagnall, Darren M.
5d84abc8-77e5-43f7-97cb-e28533f25ef1
Hoex, Bram
88e5df81-ee87-49f1-b924-6c88df595a05
Boden, Stuart A.
01b35080-37e4-48ca-bdc7-bde7971002d6
Lagoudakis, Pavlos G.
ea50c228-f006-4edf-8459-60015d961bbf
Charlton, Martin D. B.
fcf86ab0-8f34-411a-b576-4f684e51e274
Shaw, Peter
dcb6c9af-bf38-4dfe-8395-8aeac2ad5cc7
Shaw, Peter
dcb6c9af-bf38-4dfe-8395-8aeac2ad5cc7
Krishnan, Chirenjeevi, Mercier, Thomas, Rahman, Tasmiat, Piana, Giacomo, Brossard, Mael, Yagafarov, Timur, To, Alexander, Pollard, Michael E., Shaw, Peter, Bagnall, Darren M., Hoex, Bram, Boden, Stuart A., Lagoudakis, Pavlos G., Charlton, Martin D. B., Shaw, Peter and Shaw, Peter
(2019)
Efficient light harvesting in hybrid quantum dot-interdigitated back contact solar cells via resonant energy transfer and luminescent downshifting.
Nanoscale, 11 (40), .
(doi:10.1039/c9nr04003j).
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a hybrid quantum dot (QD)/solar cell configuration to improve performance of interdigitated back contact (IBC) silicon solar cells, resulting in 39.5% relative boost in the short-circuit current (JSC) through efficient utilisation of resonant energy transfer (RET) and luminescent downshifting (LDS). A uniform layer of CdSe1−xSx/ZnS quantum dots is deposited onto the AlOx surface passivation layer of the IBC solar cell. QD hybridization is found to cause a broadband improvement in the solar cell external quantum efficiency. Enhancement over the QD absorption wavelength range is shown to result from LDS. This is confirmed by significant boosts in the solar cell internal quantum efficiency (IQE) due to the presence of QDs. Enhancement over the red and near-infrared spectral range is shown to result from the anti-reflection properties of the QD layer coating. A study on the effect of QD layer thickness on solar cell performance was performed and an optimised QD layer thickness was determined. Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy was used to investigate the photoluminescence dynamics of the QD layer as a function of AlOx spacer layer thickness. RET can be evoked between the QD and Si layers for very thin AlOx spacer layers, with RET efficiencies of up to 15%. In the conventional LDS architecture, down-converters are deposited on the surface of an optimised anti-reflection layer, providing relatively narrowband enhancement, whereas the QDs in our hybrid architecture provide optical enhancement over the broadband wavelength range, by simultaneously utilising LDS, RET-mediated carrier injection, and antireflection effects, resulting in up to 40% improvement in the power conversion efficiency (PCE). Low-cost synthesis of QDs and simple device integration provide a cost-effective solution for boosting solar cell performance.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 17 August 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 9 October 2019
Published date: 28 October 2019
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 448851
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/448851
ISSN: 2040-3364
PURE UUID: e0beca5e-50ed-4209-a4dd-398be2fe2df4
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 06 May 2021 16:34
Last modified: 16 Jul 2024 01:46
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Chirenjeevi Krishnan
Author:
Thomas Mercier
Author:
Tasmiat Rahman
Author:
Giacomo Piana
Author:
Mael Brossard
Author:
Timur Yagafarov
Author:
Alexander To
Author:
Michael E. Pollard
Author:
Darren M. Bagnall
Author:
Bram Hoex
Author:
Stuart A. Boden
Author:
Pavlos G. Lagoudakis
Author:
Martin D. B. Charlton
Author:
Peter Shaw
Author:
Peter Shaw
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics