2016 Volume 1 Pages 115-119
Techniques for electric current enhancement have been studied to achieve highly efficient solar cells. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in nanostructures has promise as a potential solution in this field of technology. In particular, the deposition of nanoparticles on the surface of solar cells using sputtering has become increasingly popular due to its low cost and relatively simple methodology. However, there has so far been little consideration of the size of the deposited nanoparticles required to generate high-efficiency solar cells. In this study, Au nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of solar cells using a magnetron sputtering system. Nano-pattern characteristics (e.g., particle size, surface coverage fraction, size distribution, etc.) associated with changes in the sputtering time were evaluated. Then, the output characteristics of all the specimens were measured. A halogen lamp was employed as an optical source for the performance evaluation. The results showed that a nanoparticle size of 24 nm showed the best performance. The maximum absorption wavelength (707 nm) of the 24-nm nanoparticle was close to the maximum intensity wavelength of the optical source used (701 nm). This suggests that when developing nanoparticles, the maximum absorption wavelength of the deposited nanoparticle must be matched with the maximum intensity wavelength of sunlight to realize highly efficient solar cells.
