Nanotechnology Boost the Efficiency of Thin-Film Solar Cells

In the quest to reduce the costs of solar cells to increase the use of solar energy, scientists are focusing on the use of cheap thin films rather than thick wafers of silicon. However, light absorption in thin films is often poor, which limits the minimum thickness of a film.

Researchers from the Institute of High Performance Computing of A*STAR, Singapore, in collaboration with co-workers from CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Australia, have now revealed how metallic nanostructures can enhance light absorption—even in very thin silicon films—and thus increase the performance of thin-film solar cells1,2.

Silicon thin films are particularly poor at absorbing infrared light, which means a broad range of incoming solar light is squandered. New methods are required to overcome this fundamental problem, points out Yuriy Akimov, who led the research team.

Click here to read the full press release.