Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

P-N junction

P-N junction

A p-n junction is formed when p-type and n-type semiconductor materials are joined together. At the interface of the p-n junction, holes from the p-side and electrons from the n-side begin to diffuse into the opposite sides due to the concentration gradient. This diffusion of carriers leads to a region around the junction where there are no free charge carriers, known as the depletion region. The charge density within the depletion region for the n-side and p-side can be described by the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Polarization Engineering of Second-Harmonic Generation in 3R-MoS<sub>2</sub> Waveguides.

Nano letters·2026

Same author

Quasi-BIC and Reflective Mode Coupling Drives SHG Beyond the Q Factor Limit.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026

Same author

Lorentzian Switching Dynamics in HZO-Based FeMEMS Synapses for Neuromorphic Weight Storage.

Nano letters·2026

Same author

Comprehensive Characterization of Oligolactide Architecture by Multidimensional Chromatography and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

ACS omega·2026

Same author

Transfer and beyond: emerging strategies and trends in two-dimensional material device fabrication.

Chemical Society reviews·2026

Same author

Direct Synthesis of Atomically Smooth Epitaxial PbI<sub>2</sub> Nanosheets for Low-Threshold Monolithic Spin Lasers.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Integration of Light Trapping Silver Nanostructures in Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells by Transfer Printing

Integration of Light Trapping Silver Nanostructures in Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells by Transfer Printing

Published on: November 9, 2015

High-efficiency ordered silicon nano-conical-frustum array solar cells by self-powered parallel electron lithography.

Yuerui Lu¹, Amit Lal

¹School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.

|October 14, 2010

Summary

Researchers developed novel nanostructured silicon thin film solar cells using self-powered parallel electron lithography. This technique achieves high efficiency and absorbance, paving the way for low-cost solar energy harvesting.

More Related Videos

Harvesting Solar Energy by Means of Charge-Separating Nanocrystals and Their Solids

Harvesting Solar Energy by Means of Charge-Separating Nanocrystals and Their Solids

Published on: August 23, 2012

Well-aligned Vertically Oriented ZnO Nanorod Arrays and their Application in Inverted Small Molecule Solar Cells

Well-aligned Vertically Oriented ZnO Nanorod Arrays and their Application in Inverted Small Molecule Solar Cells

Published on: April 25, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Integration of Light Trapping Silver Nanostructures in Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells by Transfer Printing

Integration of Light Trapping Silver Nanostructures in Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells by Transfer Printing

Published on: November 9, 2015

Harvesting Solar Energy by Means of Charge-Separating Nanocrystals and Their Solids

Harvesting Solar Energy by Means of Charge-Separating Nanocrystals and Their Solids

Published on: August 23, 2012

Well-aligned Vertically Oriented ZnO Nanorod Arrays and their Application in Inverted Small Molecule Solar Cells

Well-aligned Vertically Oriented ZnO Nanorod Arrays and their Application in Inverted Small Molecule Solar Cells

Published on: April 25, 2018

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Renewable Energy

Background:

Nanostructured silicon thin film solar cells offer enhanced light trapping and carrier collection for improved efficiency and lower cost.
Fabricating large-area ordered nanostructures for solar cells is challenging due to limitations in lithography resolution and throughput.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a high-throughput, high-resolution method for creating ordered nanostructure arrays for silicon thin film solar cells.
To demonstrate the performance of solar cells fabricated with novel nanostructured silicon.

Main Methods:

Utilized a self-powered parallel electron lithography technique for fabricating ordered silicon nano-conical-frustum arrays.
Achieved sub-35-nm resolution and high throughput in nanostructure fabrication.
Fabricated ultrathin (5 μm) silicon solar cells with the ordered nanostructures.

Main Results:

Achieved an impressive absorbance of 99% over the 400-1100 nm wavelength range with a 5 μm thick film.
Demonstrated high-efficiency solar cells with efficiencies up to 10.8%.
The fabrication technique shows potential for low-cost substrate solar energy harvesting applications.

Conclusions:

The developed self-powered parallel electron lithography enables efficient fabrication of ordered nanostructured silicon for solar cells.
The nano-conical-frustum array structure significantly enhances light absorption and cell efficiency.
This approach holds promise for advancing low-cost, high-performance solar energy technologies.