Enhancing the Efficiency of Silicon-Based Solar Cells by the Piezo-Phototronic Effect

Although there are numerous approaches for fabricating solar cells, the silicon-based photovoltaics are. still the most widely used in industry and around the world. A small increase in the efficiency of silicon -based solar cells has a huge economic impact and practical importance. We fabricate a silicon -based nanoheterostructure (p(+)-Si/p-Si/ n(+)Si (and n-Si)/n-ZnO nanowire (NW) array) photovoltaic device and demonstrate the enhanced device performance throughpiezo-phototronic effect can enhance the performance of a large-scale silicon -based solar cell, with great potential for industrial applications.phototronic effect. The strain -induced piezoelectric polarization charges created at n-doped Si-ZnO interfaces can effectively modulate the corresponding band structure and electron gas trapped in the n(+)-Si/n-ZnO NW nanoheterostructure and thus enhance the transport process of local charge carriers. The efficiency of the solar cell was improved from 8.97% to 9.51% by simply applying a static compress strain. This study indicates that the piezo-phototronic effect can enhance the performance of a large-scale silicon -based solar cell, with great potential for industrial applications.significantly enhanced light absorption by NW array and effective charge carrier separation by the piezo-phototronic effect can enhance the performance of a large-scale silicon -based solar cell, with great potential for industrial applications.