Design guideline of Si nanohole/PEDOT:PSS hybrid structure for solar cell application

The finite element method is used to simulate light absorption in periodic hybrid Si nanohole (SiNH)/PEDOT:PSS arrays. The structural periodicity (P) and hole diameter (D) of the hybrid SiNH structure are varied to maximize light absorption. In terms of the solar cell performance under the AM1.5G spectrum, the highest ultimate efficiency achieved is 30.5%, when the D/P ratio is 0.8 and P is 600 nm. We have successfully fabricated the SiNH structure based on a low cost electroless chemical etching approach using a silver catalyst. The SiNH diameters formed vary from ∼200 to 300 nm, with periodicities from ∼300 to 1000 nm. The SiNH structure reveals a low average reflectance of 4% for incident light in the range 300 to 1100 nm. (paper)