Nanostructured materials for silicon solar cells grown by PECVD

The solar cell industry has been growing with astonishing rates over the past years and this industry is driven by the need of cost reduction and efficiency improvement. However, the conversion efficiency of the conventional silicon solar cell is based on its bandgap. This problem can be addressed by silicon based nanostructured materials which are one of the most promising candidates for enhancing the efficiency of the solar cells. In this work, an investigation into the effects of nanostructured materials on photovoltaic solar cell is carried out. Silicon/Silicon Oxide nanoparticles produced by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) are applied on the top of conventional polycrystalline silicon solar cell. The electrical and optical characteristics of the coated solar cell are monitored and compared to non-coated solar cell for each different coating condition in order to observe any enhancement in performance. The electrical characteristics of the cell are observed under the visible and ultraviolet light source. Furthermore, macroscopic structure properties of the deposited layer has been analysed using different techniques in order to evaluate the size of the nanoparticles and also to examine the composition of the deposited particle are also presented. Also, Reflectance characteristics results show a better light absorption.The experimental investigations on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the coated layer can lead to a better design of the device. Thus, more promising results could be expected.