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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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Fabrication of Fully Solution Processed Inorganic Nanocrystal Photovoltaic Devices

Fabrication of Fully Solution Processed Inorganic Nanocrystal Photovoltaic Devices

Published on: July 8, 2016

Solution-processed core-shell nanowires for efficient photovoltaic cells.

Jinyao Tang¹, Ziyang Huo, Sarah Brittman

¹Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.

Nature Nanotechnology

|August 23, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Semiconductor nanowire solar cells achieve competitive efficiency despite lower light absorption. This breakthrough utilizes a low-cost, solution-based process with Earth-abundant materials for potential cost reduction.

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Last Updated: May 30, 2026

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Renewable Energy

Background:

Semiconductor nanowires offer potential advantages for photovoltaic applications, including improved charge transport.
However, nanowire-based solar cells historically exhibit lower efficiencies than planar cells due to surface recombination and lower light absorption.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if the benefits of nanowire architecture can overcome performance limitations.
To develop efficient core-shell nanowire solar cells using a cost-effective, solution-based method.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of core-shell nanowire solar cells using a low-temperature cation exchange reaction.
Creation of a heteroepitaxial junction between single-crystalline CdS core and single-crystalline Cu2S shell.
Integration of multiple cells in series and parallel configurations on single nanowires.

Main Results:

Achieved open-circuit voltage and fill factor superior to equivalent planar cells.
Demonstrated an energy conversion efficiency of ~5.4%, comparable to planar cells despite reduced light absorption.
Successfully integrated series and parallel cell configurations for high voltage and current output.

Conclusions:

Core-shell nanowire solar cells can achieve competitive efficiencies, challenging previous performance benchmarks.
The solution-based process using Earth-abundant materials offers a pathway to significantly reduce solar cell fabrication costs.
This approach holds promise for the development of next-generation, low-cost photovoltaic devices.