Au-Cu2O core-shell nanowire photovoltaics

Semiconductor nanowires are among the most promising candidates for next generation photovoltaics. This is due to their outstanding optical and electrical properties which provide large optical cross sections while simultaneously decoupling the photon absorption and charge carrier extraction length...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2015-01, Vol.106 (2)
Main Authors: Oener, S. Z., Mann, S. A., Sciacca, B., Sfiligoj, C., Hoang, J., Garnett, E. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied physics
Circuits
Coated electrodes
Copper oxides
Current carriers
Decoupling
Diffusion length
Electric contacts
Electrical measurement
Electrical properties
Epitaxial growth
Gold
Minority carriers
Nanowires
Open circuit voltage
Optical properties
Photoelectric effect
Photoelectric emission
Photon absorption
Photovoltaic cells
Solar cells
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Summary:Semiconductor nanowires are among the most promising candidates for next generation photovoltaics. This is due to their outstanding optical and electrical properties which provide large optical cross sections while simultaneously decoupling the photon absorption and charge carrier extraction length scales. These effects relax the requirements for both the minority carrier diffusion length and the amount of semiconductor needed. Metal-semiconductor core-shell nanowires have previously been predicted to show even better optical absorption than solid semiconductor nanowires and offer the additional advantage of a local metal core contact. Here, we fabricate and analyze such a geometry using a single Au-Cu2O core-shell nanowire photovoltaic cell as a model system. Spatially resolved photocurrent maps reveal that although the minority carrier diffusion length in the Cu2O shell is less than 1 μm, the radial contact geometry with the incorporated metal electrode still allows for photogenerated carrier collection along an entire nanowire. Current-voltage measurements yield an open-circuit voltage of 600 mV under laser illumination and a dark diode turn-on voltage of 1 V. This study suggests the metal-semiconductor core-shell nanowire concept could be extended to low-cost, large-scale photovoltaic devices, utilizing for example, metal nanowire electrode grids coated with epitaxially grown semiconductor shells.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.4905652