Titanium dioxide nanoparticles for enhanced monocrystalline solar cell

Nanoparticles have recently been investigated as a possible way to improve absorption of light in solar cells. The strong interaction of nanoparticles with light allows control over the propagation of light at the nanoscale and thus, the design of solar cells, in which the light is trapped in an active layer and efficiently absorbed. This study investigates how a layer of TiO₂ particles affect the performance of monocrystalline solar cells. A Titanium (Ti) layer was deposited on a monocrystalline solar cell and subsequently oxidised. Two different oxidation methods are used and compared: one sample of coated photovoltaic (PV) cell was heated in a furnace in contact with atmospheric air, the other by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) using an oxygen rich compound, potassium permanganate. The results demonstrate that the oxidised layer influences electrical, morphological and antireflective properties of monocrystalline solar cells. The electrical characteristics of the solar cell improved with PECVD oxidising process as showed in the J-V curves and the efficiency and the fill factor increased. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis showed that the grain size changed using different sintering process and the solar reflectance of the monocrystalline solar cell was reduced after Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) deposition.