Light Trapping by Ag Nanoparticles Chemically Assembled inside Thin-Film Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Si Solar Cells

A systematic study on the Ag nanoparticle (NP)-mediated light trapping in thin film hydrogenated microcrystalline Si (mu c-Si:H) solar cells is described. In this study, a unique wet-chemical approach was applied to allow the assembly of light scattering Ag NPs inside the rear ZnO:Ga layer of mu c-Si:H solar cells in a controlled manner. It was confirmed that both the surface coverage by the Ag NPs and the location of the Ag NPs in the ZnO: Ga layer have significant impacts on the final light trapping effect. By optimizing these two parameters, a 75% higher current density generated in the near-infrared range (700-1100 nm) was achieved in a Ag NP-incorporated cell compared with a cell without the Ag NP incorporation. (C) 2012 The Japan Society of Applied Physics