Semiconducting silicon-tin alloy nanocrystals with direct bandgap behavior for photovoltaic devices

Mickaël Lozac'h; Vladimir Švrček; Sadegh Askari; Davide Mariotti; Noboru Ohashi; Tomoyuki Koganezawa; Tetsuhiko Miyadera; Koji Matsubara

doi:10.1016/j.mtener.2017.12.008

Semiconducting silicon-tin alloy nanocrystals with direct bandgap behavior for photovoltaic devices

Mickaël Lozac'h^*, Vladimir Švrček, Sadegh Askari, Davide Mariotti, Noboru Ohashi, Tomoyuki Koganezawa, Tetsuhiko Miyadera, Koji Matsubara

^*Corresponding author for this work

Design, Manufacturing And Engineering Management

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The feasibility of using surfactant-free semiconducting silicon-tin alloy nanocrystals with quantum confinement effect for photovoltaics is demonstrated. Synthetized nanoparticles with average of 3 nm in diameter and optical bandgap of 0.81 eV at room temperature were obtained. X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation have confirmed a Si_0.88Sn_0.12 alloyed composition that corresponds to a ratio of about eight Si atoms for every Sn atom. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed a reduced surface oxygen concentration compared with elemental silicon nanocrystals. Furthermore the potential of silicon-tin nanocrystals as a photovoltaic material is assessed and an enhancement of the solar cells performance is demonstrated due to the extended spectral range and increased absorption. In particular, the short circuit current density has shown improvements as the concentration of silicon-tin nanocrystals is increased.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	87-97
Number of pages	11
Journal	Materials Today Energy
Volume	7
Early online date	2 Jan 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtener.2017.12.008
Publication status	Published - 1 Mar 2018

Funding

The authors acknowledge Dr. Marius Buerkle for fruitful discussion about XRD analysis. This work was partially supported by the NEDO grant on Innovative Solar Cells and grant-in-aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society of the Promotion of Science (JSPS, no. 25·03716). DM also acknowledges the support of EPSRC (award n.EP/K022237/1) and the Leverhulme Trust (award n.IN-2012-136).

Keywords

direct bandgap
nanocrystals
semiconductor
SiSn alloy
XRD synchrotron radiation

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.mtener.2017.12.008

Cite this

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abstract = "The feasibility of using surfactant-free semiconducting silicon-tin alloy nanocrystals with quantum confinement effect for photovoltaics is demonstrated. Synthetized nanoparticles with average of 3 nm in diameter and optical bandgap of 0.81 eV at room temperature were obtained. X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation have confirmed a Si0.88Sn0.12 alloyed composition that corresponds to a ratio of about eight Si atoms for every Sn atom. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed a reduced surface oxygen concentration compared with elemental silicon nanocrystals. Furthermore the potential of silicon-tin nanocrystals as a photovoltaic material is assessed and an enhancement of the solar cells performance is demonstrated due to the extended spectral range and increased absorption. In particular, the short circuit current density has shown improvements as the concentration of silicon-tin nanocrystals is increased.",

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T1 - Semiconducting silicon-tin alloy nanocrystals with direct bandgap behavior for photovoltaic devices

AU - Lozac'h, Mickaël

AU - Švrček, Vladimir

AU - Askari, Sadegh

AU - Mariotti, Davide

AU - Ohashi, Noboru

AU - Koganezawa, Tomoyuki

AU - Miyadera, Tetsuhiko

AU - Matsubara, Koji

PY - 2018/3/1

Y1 - 2018/3/1

N2 - The feasibility of using surfactant-free semiconducting silicon-tin alloy nanocrystals with quantum confinement effect for photovoltaics is demonstrated. Synthetized nanoparticles with average of 3 nm in diameter and optical bandgap of 0.81 eV at room temperature were obtained. X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation have confirmed a Si0.88Sn0.12 alloyed composition that corresponds to a ratio of about eight Si atoms for every Sn atom. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed a reduced surface oxygen concentration compared with elemental silicon nanocrystals. Furthermore the potential of silicon-tin nanocrystals as a photovoltaic material is assessed and an enhancement of the solar cells performance is demonstrated due to the extended spectral range and increased absorption. In particular, the short circuit current density has shown improvements as the concentration of silicon-tin nanocrystals is increased.

AB - The feasibility of using surfactant-free semiconducting silicon-tin alloy nanocrystals with quantum confinement effect for photovoltaics is demonstrated. Synthetized nanoparticles with average of 3 nm in diameter and optical bandgap of 0.81 eV at room temperature were obtained. X-ray diffraction measurements with synchrotron radiation have confirmed a Si0.88Sn0.12 alloyed composition that corresponds to a ratio of about eight Si atoms for every Sn atom. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed a reduced surface oxygen concentration compared with elemental silicon nanocrystals. Furthermore the potential of silicon-tin nanocrystals as a photovoltaic material is assessed and an enhancement of the solar cells performance is demonstrated due to the extended spectral range and increased absorption. In particular, the short circuit current density has shown improvements as the concentration of silicon-tin nanocrystals is increased.

KW - direct bandgap

KW - nanocrystals

KW - semiconductor

KW - SiSn alloy

KW - XRD synchrotron radiation

U2 - 10.1016/j.mtener.2017.12.008

DO - 10.1016/j.mtener.2017.12.008

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85039845838

SN - 2468-6069

VL - 7

SP - 87

EP - 97

JO - Materials Today Energy

JF - Materials Today Energy

ER -

Semiconducting silicon-tin alloy nanocrystals with direct bandgap behavior for photovoltaic devices

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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