Solar cell efficiency improvement by photon absorption enhancement employing rare earth doped films

Abstract

We report the synthesis and characterization of SiO2:3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (TMSPM) films doped with Eu3+ ions that exhibit down-shifting, photo-luminescent characteristics. The synthesized rare-earth films were observed to absorb UV photons and subsequently reemit photons in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum where there is a greater absorption by the silicon substrate. The incorporation of these films as a photon down-shifting layer on solar cells triggered improvements in the performance of the photovoltaic devices, especially in the short circuit current density (Jsc) leading to an increment in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 15.17 to 15.42%. This increment represents an improvement of the order of 1.6% on the power conversion efficiency on the silicon solar cells employed. The observed results could be conducive to promoting the proliferation of photovoltaic structures.