Silicon Nanowires Solar Cells for Higher Power Conversion Efficiency

Solar energy harvesting is the clean, sustainable, and renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Conversion of the solar-light directly into electrical energy via photovoltaic devices plays a significant method. Recently, successful developments using nanowires-based solar cells (NWs) pave the way for a lesser material consumption, while maintaining the efficiency high. Different nanowires geometries have been proposed to enhance the power conversion. In this regard, different NWs have been implemented such as nano funnel, nano pyramids, and conical structures. It has been shown that the nano-funnel NW design improved the absorption due to the combination of modes produced by the top cylinder and the bottom tapered cone. Furthermore, modified nano-pyramid with a bottom substrate has improved the absorption due to the ability of the grating sidewalls to trap more light through the active layer. Additionally, the spacing between the adjacent nanopyramid structures can exhibit microcavity re