Near field and far field plasmonic enhancements with bilayers of different dimensions AgNPs@DLC for improved current...

The effect of a bilayer of different dimension silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on light trapping in silicon solar cells is investigated. Here, we report on the improved performance of silicon solar cells by integrating two layers of silver nanoparticles of different sizes. We experimentally examine the plasmonic near-field and far-field effects of bilayer Ag NPs embedded within an anti-reflective DLC layer on silicon solar cells' optical and electrical characteristics. Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy drove the two-dimensional differences in the size of Ag NPs. The surface plasmon resonance of the two-dimensional nanoparticles was estimated from the absorption optical spectra. External quantum efficiency measurements showed that near-field or far-field plasmonic effects altered with the Ag NPs size. The development of far fields was confirmed by measuring the solar cell performance under AM 1.5 G illumination. The impact of the far-field in the cell containing two layers of Ag NPs, which outer layer is larger dimensions NPs, improves the current density up to 38.4 mA/cm² (by 70% compared to the bare reference cell).