Graphene-Al2O3-silicon heterojunction solar cells on flexible silicon substrates

The quest of obtaining sustainable, clean energy is an ongoing challenge. While silicon-based solar cells have widespread acceptance in practical commercialization, continuous research is important to expand applicability beyond fixed-point generation to other environments while also improving power conversion efficiency (PCE), stability, and cost. In this work, graphene-on-silicon Schottky junction and graphene-insulator-silicon (GIS) solar cells are demonstrated on flexible, thin foils, which utilize the electrical conductivity and optical transparency of graphene as the top transparent contact. Multi-layer graphene was grown by chemical vapor deposition on Cu-Ni foils, followed by p-type doping with Au nanoparticles and encapsulated in poly(methyl methacrylate), which showed high stability with minimal performance degradation over more than one month under ambient conditions. Bendable silicon film substrates were fabricated by a kerf-less exfoliation process based on spalling, where the silicon film thickness could be controlled from 8 to 35 mu m based on the process recipe. This method allows for re-exfoliation from the parent Si wafer and incorporates the process for forming the backside metal contact of the solar cell. GIS cells were made with a thin insulating Al2O3 atomic layer deposited film, where the thin Al2O3 film acts as a tunneling barrier for holes, while simultaneously passivating the silicon surface, increasing the minority carrier lifetime from 2 to 27 mu s. By controlling the Al2O3 thickness, an optimized cell with 7.4% power conversion efficiency (PCE) on a 35 mu m thick silicon absorber was fabricated. Published by AIP Publishing.