Rational and key strategies toward enhancing the performance of graphene/silicon solar cells

Abstract

Graphene has attracted considerable attention due to its unique physical and chemical properties. Thanks to its atomic thickness, high carrier mobility, and transparency, graphene is the best electrode material for a wide range of optoelectronic devices such as solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and photodetectors. Improvement of graphene/silicon (Gr/Si) solar cells has gained significant research interest in the field of semiconductor devices. Herein, a comprehensive review of Gr/Si solar cells is provided with a detailed introduction of the structure, mechanism, and fundamental physics of Gr/Si solar cells. Then, various key strategies to improve the performance of the solar cells are summarized. The article concludes with the goals and direction for future works on graphene-based solar cells.