Effect of particle clustering of silver nanoparticles on ultrathin silicon solar cell

Particle clustering is a major concern for uniform dispersal of nanoparticles in various deposition procedures. Well separated uniform distribution of metal nanoparticles is essential for effective coupling of surface plasmons. This work experimentally and theoretically, discusses the effect of nanoparticle clustering on the light trapping efficiency of silver nanoparticles. Pulsed laser deposition system has been used for deposition of silver nanoparticles, and substrate heating has been used to promote uniform distribution of nanoparticles. Pre-heated substrate depositions are compared with corresponding post-annealed samples. XRD, FESEM, Photoluminescence and UV-visible spectroscopy have been used to study the variations in their structural and optical properties. Mono-dispersal of silver nanoparticles for pre-heated substrates results in sharper surface plasmon resonance in comparison to post-annealed samples. Mie theory is used to estimate the particle size of the nanoparticles and findings are in accordance with quantitative analysis of FESEM images. Finite-difference time domain technique is used to discuss the effect of particle distribution on an ultrathin film silicon solar cell. Device degradation is observed as a result of clustering of silver nanoparticles. Hence, mono-dispersal of plasmonic nanostructures is important for required results and pre-heated deposition of metal nanoparticles by pulsed laser deposition can effectively solve the problem of particle clustering. (paper)