A synergetic application of surface plasmon and field effect to improve Si solar cell performance

We report a synergetic application of surface plasmon (SP) and field effect (FE) to improve crystalline Si solar cell performance. The SPs are supported by small-sized Ag nanoparticles with an average diameter of 36.7 nm. The localized SP electromagnetic field from Ag nanoparticles excites extra electron–hole pairs at the surface region of the Si solar cell emitter, and meanwhile, the electron–hole pairs are detached by the electrostatic field that crosses the emitter surface. This synergism of SP and FE produces extra charges and enhances the Si solar cell efficiency. As compared to a Si solar cell applying SP and FE independently, a more than 10% efficiency enhancement is achieved by using them synergistically. (paper)