Fabrication schemes for advanced solar cell architectures combining upright silicon nanowires and thin films

Radial pn junction wire array solar cells have a potential to reduce the material cost of PV devices. We present the fabrication process of Si nano-wire array solar cells using low temperature plasma processing techniques. Process schemes for fabrication of two new types of solar cells with radial p-n junction formed with low temperature thin film deposition process are described. In addition to the experimental process development, theoretical analyses of doping concentration of both p- and n-type regions as well as applied voltage on electric properties of the wires are also performed.