Accession Number:

AD1028457

Title:

Low-Cost, High Efficiency, Silicon Based Photovoltaic Devices

Descriptive Note:

Technical Report

Corporate Author:

University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio United States

Personal Author(s):

• Rajpudasaini,Pushpa

Report Date:

2015-08-27

Pagination or Media Count:

155.0

Abstract:

The favorable bandgap and natural abundance of silicon, combined with the largeexpertise on semiconductor wafer processing, have led to the use of wafer-based crystallinesilicon c-Si in the vast majority of photovoltaic cells and modules produced worldwide.However, the high cost of purifying, crystallizing, and segregating Si wafers has inhibited thesephotovoltaic energy sources from approaching cost parity with conventional sources of energy.In this dissertation work, we exploit the description and exploration of low-cost, relatively high efficiencynon-conventional silicon based photovoltaic devices. Three different non-conventionalapproaches were studied, namely, a. radial p-n junction wires arrays for effective carriercollection, b. plasmonic metal nanoparticles for light trapping, c. organicinorganic hybridheterojunction, as a means to realize a low cost photovoltaic devices.

Descriptors:

• theses
• photovoltaic effect
• silicon
• semiconductors
• energy
• low costs
• wafers

Subject Categories:

• Electrooptical and Optoelectronic Devices

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE