There is an increasing interest in finding novel concepts for increasing the efficiency-to-cost ratio in solar cell devices. Among the different possibilities, semiconductor nanowires have shown to provide various paths towards this goal.

In this talk, I will discuss different aspects in considering semiconductor nanowires for next generation photovoltaics:

Increased device freedom for optimizing the carrier extraction and light absorption.
A self-concentrating effect which provides the potential to surpass the Shockley-Queisser limit [1].
Three-dimensional-heterostructure design in up-conversion strategies [2].

References:

[1] P. Krogstrup et al, Nature Photon, 7, 306 ( 2013)

[2] E. Alarcon-Lladó et al. In review (2013)

Anna Fontcuberta i Morral

EPFL

Appearances