title: Dispersion, wave propagation and efficiency analysis of nanowire solar cells.
abstract: We analyze the electromagnetic properties of InP/InAs nanowire solar cells for different geometries. We address both eigenvalue calculations to determine the wave propagation as well as source problems to simulate direct perpendicular illumination by three-dimensional finite element calculations. We demonstrate the validity of a 2D waveguide modal analysis as a method of estimating the results of the computationally far more demanding 3D analysis. The resulting data is employed in a detailed balance analysis in order to determine the optimum set of bandgap energies for a single-junction and dual-junction cell as well as the corresponding efficiency limit. The efficiency of the nanowire design can approach the efficiency of conventional thin-film designs despite the low volume fill-factor.
authors.affiliation: Integrated Systems Laboratory, Zurich, Switzerland. kupec@iis.ee.ethz.ch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kupec
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Witzigmann
mesh_terms: D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004735:Energy Transfer; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007204:Indium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D008027:Light; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010720:Phosphines / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012993:Solar Energy
chemical_list: D010720:Phosphines; D007204:Indium; C090882:indium phosphide