Enhancing and Optimizing Optical Properties of Bifacial Solar Cells by Incorporating Metal Nanoparticles
Abstract
In this study, the optical properties of a silicon-based bifacial solar cell with an n⁺–p–p⁺ structure were investigated using numerical simulation in the Sentaurus TCAD environment. Various metal nanoparticles were embedded in the emitter layer in a linear configuration to analyze their effects on light absorption and scattering. The study compared metal nanoparticles of platinum (Pt), gold (Au), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), and copper (Cu). All nanoparticles were modeled with the same diameter (5 nm), and the current-voltage (I–V) characteristics were obtained for each configuration. The simulation results showed that platinum nanoparticles yielded the highest short-circuit current density of 13.8 mA/cm², while silver nanoparticles yielded the lowest, at 5.027 mA/cm². Optimal parameters were observed with nanoparticles of 5 nm in diameter. Furthermore, it was found that the photon absorption density for the most efficient metal type was 1.81 times greater than that of the reference structure without nanoparticles. Additionally, the spectral sensitivity of silicon shifted toward the ultraviolet region in the presence of metal nanoparticles. The study demonstrated enhanced utilization of the visible light spectrum, and due to the embedded nanoparticles, the overall absorption coefficient of the bifacial solar cell increased by a factor of 1.33, aligning more effectively with the visible spectral range.