Enhanced photocurrent of Si solar cell with the inclusion of a transparent indium tin oxide thin film

Abstract

We investigated the enhanced photocurrents in crystalline Si solar cells with the inclusion of indium tin oxide thin film. The indium tin oxide enhances the quantum efficiency and reduces photoreflectance in the spectral region of 310–1048 nm. The enhanced photocurrent is ranged at the Si band edge for the spectral peak near 1033 nm. For the subband gap region, the photocurrent is strongly reduced by the indium tin oxide thin film, indicating that the transmission of infrared spectra was prevented by plasmonic metamaterial effect. The fabricated cell showed the short circuit current density enhanced due to the carrier excitation behavior at conduction band of the infrared spectra induced metallic indium tin oxide thin film. The enhanced shunt resistance of the pn junction is related to the blocking of Ag paste penetration into the Si emitter layer by the indium tin oxide thin film during fabrication process.