Light management with surface microwires structure for c-Si photovoltaics

Abstract

Silicon microwires are very promising candidates for next-generation photovoltaics. Si microwires achieve strong broadband light absorption, acting as an antireflection coating layer. In addition to superior optical properties, Si microwires can effectively separate and collect photocarriers at the radial junction owing to a short diffusion length. This factor can relax the requirement for high-quality materials, enabling a reduction in the cost of producing solar cells. In this talk, I will review recent progress in vertically aligned Si microwire photovoltaics with reference to (1) optimized microwire structures to enhance light absorption, (2) uniform radial junctions for effective carrier separation, (3) minimization of surface recombination through surface treatments, and (4) fine metal electrodes for efficient carrier collection. In addition, we present studies on flexible crystalline Si photovoltacis that use mechanically flexible Si microwires.