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Amorphous silicon
About: Amorphous silicon is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 26777 publications have been published within this topic receiving 423234 citations.
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TL;DR: The development of solar water-splitting cells comprising earth-abundant elements that operate in near-neutral pH conditions, both with and without connecting wires are described, allowing for direct solar-to-fuels conversion that captures many of the basic functional elements of a leaf.
Abstract: We describe the development of solar water-splitting cells comprising earth-abundant elements that operate in near-neutral pH conditions, both with and without connecting wires. The cells consist of a triple junction, amorphous silicon photovoltaic interfaced to hydrogen- and oxygen-evolving catalysts made from an alloy of earth-abundant metals and a cobalt|borate catalyst, respectively. The devices described here carry out the solar-driven water-splitting reaction at efficiencies of 4.7% for a wired configuration and 2.5% for a wireless configuration when illuminated with 1 sun (100 milliwatts per square centimeter) of air mass 1.5 simulated sunlight. Fuel-forming catalysts interfaced with light-harvesting semiconductors afford a pathway to direct solar-to-fuels conversion that captures many of the basic functional elements of a leaf.
1,535 citations
TL;DR: The fabrication of a-Si:H nanowires and nanocones function as both absorber and antireflection layers, which offer a promising approach to enhance the solar cell energy conversion efficiency.
Abstract: Hydrogenated amorphous Si (a-Si:H) is an important solar cell material. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of a-Si:H nanowires (NWs) and nanocones (NCs), using an easily scalable and IC-compatible process. We also investigate the optical properties of these nanostructures. These a-Si:H nanostructures display greatly enhanced absorption over a large range of wavelengths and angles of incidence, due to suppressed reflection. The enhancement effect is particularly strong for a-Si:H NC arrays, which provide nearly perfect impedance matching between a-Si:H and air through a gradual reduction of the effective refractive index. More than 90% of light is absorbed at angles of incidence up to 60° for a-Si:H NC arrays, which is significantly better than NW arrays (70%) and thin films (45%). In addition, the absorption of NC arrays is 88% at the band gap edge of a-Si:H, which is much higher than NW arrays (70%) and thin films (53%). Our experimental data agree very well with simulation. The a-Si:H nanocones functio...
1,238 citations
TL;DR: The advantages and limitations of photovoltaic solar modules for energy generation are reviewed with their operation principles and physical efficiency limits, and recent developments suggest that thin-film crystalline silicon (especially microcrystalline silicon) is becoming a prime candidate for future photov electricity generation.
Abstract: The advantages and limitations of photovoltaic solar modules for energy generation are reviewed with their operation principles and physical efficiency limits. Although the main materials currently used or investigated and the associated fabrication technologies are individually described, emphasis is on silicon-based solar cells. Wafer-based crystalline silicon solar modules dominate in terms of production, but amorphous silicon solar cells have the potential to undercut costs owing, for example, to the roll-to-roll production possibilities for modules. Recent developments suggest that thin-film crystalline silicon (especially microcrystalline silicon) is becoming a prime candidate for future photovoltaics.
1,177 citations
TL;DR: In this article, thin film solar cells, ∼ 1 μm thick, have been fabricated from amorphous silicon deposited from a glow discharge in silane, and the cells were made in a p i n structure by using doping gases in the discharge.
Abstract: Thin film solar cells, ∼1 μm thick, have been fabricated from amorphous silicon deposited from a glow discharge in silane. The cells were made in a p‐i‐n structure by using doping gases in the discharge. The best power conversion efficiency to date is 2.4% in AM‐1 sunlight. The maximum efficiency of thin‐film amorphous silicon solar cells is estimated to be ∼14–15%.
1,158 citations
TL;DR: The growth of a highly aligned meta-stable structure of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1] Benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) is described from a blended solution of C8- BTBT and polystyrene by using a novel off-centre spin-coating method, indicating their potential for transparent, high-performance organic electronics.
Abstract: One of the advantages of organic over inorganic semiconductors is they can be grown from solution, but their electrical mobility is often poor. Yuan et al. report a technique for fabricating organic transistors with mobilities far beyond that of amorphous silicon and close to that of polycrystalline silicon.
1,130 citations