Application of gold nano-particles for silicon solar cells efficiency increase

The main problems preventing wide spreading of solar cells as alternative energy sources are their high cost and low efficiency. Efficiency of solar cells based on semiconductor materials is limited due to high electrical and optical losses and due to recombination processes. Non-continuous, thin island gold films deposited on a dielectric or semiconductor surface introduce a unique behavior. In response to light exposure in certain range, the metal islands present a resonant absorption of light accompanied with a collective behavior of free electrons in these islands. In this paper we present one possible way to increase the efficiency of solar cells by using nano-dimensional gold islands imbedded in semiconductor junctions.