Light trapping considerations in self-assembled ZnO nanorod arrays for quantum dot sensitized solar cells

ChunYan Luan; King Tai Cheung; Yishu Foo; Li Yu Yu; Qing Shen; Juan Antonio Zapien

doi:10.1117/12.2045535

8 March 2014 Light trapping considerations in self-assembled ZnO nanorod arrays for quantum dot sensitized solar cells

ChunYan Luan, King Tai Cheung, Yishu Foo, Li Yu Yu, Qing Shen, Juan Antonio Zapien

Proceedings Volume 8987, Oxide-based Materials and Devices V; 898725 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2045535
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2014, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We study light absorption in ZnO nanorod arrays sensitized with CdSe quantum dots as one of the factors affecting solar cell performance in need of improvement given their current performance well below expectations. Light trapping in nanorod arrays (NRAs) as it relates to array density and length as well as quantum dot (QD) loading is studied using the Finite Difference Time Domain model. It is shown that light absorption in such solar cell architecture is a sensitive function of the morphological dimensions and that a higher NRA density does not necessarily correspond to large absorption in the solar cell. Instead, light trapping efficiency depends significantly on the array density, QD axial distribution and refractive index contrast between NR and QDs thus suggesting strategies for improved quantum dot solar cell (QDSC) fabrication. In addition, we present experimental data showing dramatic improvement in photo conversion efficiency performance for relatively short ZnO NRAs (~1 μm) of low NRA density, but whose efficiency improvement can not be solely explained based on our current light trapping estimates from the numerical simulations.

Citation Download Citation

ChunYan Luan, King Tai Cheung, Yishu Foo, Li Yu Yu, Qing Shen, and Juan Antonio Zapien "Light trapping considerations in self-assembled ZnO nanorod arrays for quantum dot sensitized solar cells", Proc. SPIE 8987, Oxide-based Materials and Devices V, 898725 (8 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2045535

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KEYWORDS

Absorption

Zinc oxide

Solar cells

Nanorods

Quantum dots

Finite-difference time-domain method

Optical properties

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