The Modelling of Light Absorption and Reflection in a SiOx/Si Structure with Al Nanoparticles for Solar Cells

Kaupužs, Jevgenijs; Medvids, Arturs; Onufrijevs, Pavels; Fedorenko, Leonid; Evtukh, Anatoliy

doi:10.3390/coatings14121612

Open AccessArticle

The Modelling of Light Absorption and Reflection in a SiO_x/Si Structure with Al Nanoparticles for Solar Cells

by

Jevgenijs Kaupužs

^1,*

,

Arturs Medvids

¹

,

Pavels Onufrijevs

^1,*

,

Leonid Fedorenko

² and

Anatoliy Evtukh

²

¹

Institute of Technical Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Riga Technical University, P. Valdena 7, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia

²

Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Prospect Nauki 41, 03028 Kyiv, Ukraine

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Coatings 2024, 14(12), 1612; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14121612

Submission received: 18 November 2024 / Revised: 5 December 2024 / Accepted: 21 December 2024 / Published: 23 December 2024

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Abstract

In this study, the light propagation in a structure consisting of

S i O_{x}

on Si substrate with Al nanoparticles regularly placed in the

S i O_{x}

layer is considered. Numerical modelling is performed by solving the Maxwell equations for the electromagnetic waves. In distinction from the well-known finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation technique, we do not solve time-dependent wave equations here; rather, we propose a new numerical technique. This technique allows us to determine the stationary amplitudes of the electromagnetic oscillations directly from the linear algebraic equation system. The obtained results apply to silicon solar cells with an

S i O_{x}

+ Al top layer to maximise their efficiency. We found that 26 nm and 39 nm diameters of spherical Al nanoparticles are nearly optimal for a λ = 435.8 nm wavelength of the incident light. In addition, we evaluated the (nearly) optimal parameters of their placement in the

S i O_{x}

layer. The results show the possibility of increasing the efficiency of solar cells by increasing the light absorption inside the active Si layer from ≈60% to ≈80%. Future perspectives on the proposed method and its possible applications are discussed.

Keywords: Al nanoparticles; solar cells; Maxwell equations; electromagnetic waves; light scattering

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MDPI and ACS Style

Kaupužs, J.; Medvids, A.; Onufrijevs, P.; Fedorenko, L.; Evtukh, A. The Modelling of Light Absorption and Reflection in a SiO_x/Si Structure with Al Nanoparticles for Solar Cells. Coatings 2024, 14, 1612. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14121612

AMA Style

Kaupužs J, Medvids A, Onufrijevs P, Fedorenko L, Evtukh A. The Modelling of Light Absorption and Reflection in a SiO_x/Si Structure with Al Nanoparticles for Solar Cells. Coatings. 2024; 14(12):1612. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14121612

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kaupužs, Jevgenijs, Arturs Medvids, Pavels Onufrijevs, Leonid Fedorenko, and Anatoliy Evtukh. 2024. "The Modelling of Light Absorption and Reflection in a SiO_x/Si Structure with Al Nanoparticles for Solar Cells" Coatings 14, no. 12: 1612. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14121612

APA Style

Kaupužs, J., Medvids, A., Onufrijevs, P., Fedorenko, L., & Evtukh, A. (2024). The Modelling of Light Absorption and Reflection in a SiO_x/Si Structure with Al Nanoparticles for Solar Cells. Coatings, 14(12), 1612. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14121612

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The Modelling of Light Absorption and Reflection in a SiO_x/Si Structure with Al Nanoparticles for Solar Cells

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